FIERCELY independent and determined not to cause a fuss, 81-year-old Stella Bruce has lived in the same North Yorkshire house since she was six.

But a recent cancer scare and an operation to fit a pacemaker meant she finally had to accept an offer of help.

Miss Bruce spent six weeks in hospitals, but found on her return to the Catterick Village home where still cooks on an open fire and which has barely been upgraded since it was built in the 1930s, that she could no longer wash her clothes by hand.

She mentioned this to staff at St John's Community Centre, in Catterick Garrison, who provide the pensioner with an assisted shopping service, and they decided to help.

Michelle Cardwell, services coordinator at the centre, applied for a grant to buy a new automatic washing machine, while volunteer Martin Flanagan baked cakes which are being sold to pay for the machine to be plumbed in.

Volunteers realised Miss Bruce needed a new washing line to hang out her clothes to dry on, but when they looked in the garden they saw it had become over-grown with brambles and weeds. A working party was quickly formed to clear the garden and re-turf it with the grass provided at a discount by Farnaby Turf, of MiddletonTyas.

Mrs Cardwell said: “She’s very independent but just needed a helping hand after she had the pacemaker fitted.”

St John’s centre manager Jacqueline Brakenberry added: “This is what the centre is all about – promoting independent living.”

Miss Bruce moved into the newly-built home in 1938 after moving with her family from Barton, between Richmond and Darlington.

She said: “I didn’t ask for the help but they offered it and I’m very grateful - Michelle is a good person.

“I used to grow vegetables in the garden but had to stop a couple of years ago. I asked someone to clear it as I don’t like looking at it but it was going to be £100 – I’m only on a basic pension and I couldn’t afford it.”

A grant of £250 towards the washing machine was provided by the St Martin-In-The-Fields Trust.