CENTENARIAN Mary Clark is making the most of what seems like a month-long celebration to mark her 100th birthday.

Having enjoyed a family party, and other celebrations at day centres she attends in the Sedgefield area, the sprightly great, great grandmother was guest of honour at County Hall, Durham, yesterday.

The widow of Jack Clark, the last chairman of the old county council before boundary reorganisation, Mrs Clark was guest of the current chairman and the county council leader, Councillors Alan Fenwick and Ken Manton.

They presented Mrs Clark with framed copies of the notice of motion nominating her late husband as chairman and the vote of thanks to mark the end of his term in office.

Mrs Clark, of Fishburn, who was 100 on August 1, accompanied by Nora, the youngest of her two daughters, was then treated to lunch.

She said: "It's a marvellous gesture and a nice tribute to my husband. We're very grateful. He did an awful lot of work in the area and for the council."

Mrs Clark said she was lucky to meet the Queen, both at the opening of the Tyne Tunnel and at a royal garden party during her husband's term as chairman, from 1971-74.

Her late husband, a former Fishburn Colliery miner, also served on the former Sedgefield Rural District Council, as well as being a National Union of Mineworkers' official.

He was on the county council from 1957-74, representing Trimdon division, serving as chairman and vice-chairman on several committees before taking up the full chairmanship for the last three years of the old county authority.