A woman who started her career as the only female reporter on a Surrey newspaper and once worked with Barbara Cartland has celebrated her 100th birthday.

Lenore Foord, who was born on 30 May 1911 and worked for Newsquest title the Surrey Comet from 1938, puts her long life down to red wine and having the ‘enquiring mind of a journalist.’

She fell into a career in journalism after meeting someone on a cruise ship while returning from a trip to visit family in Canada.

After joining the Comet as the only female reporter, she worked her way up to the editorial board.

She also worked for Barbara Cartland at one time, but found her ways a “little quirky.”

Her niece Amanda C Dickie, a freelance writer, said: “She remembers her time at the paper very fondly, especially the editor at the time AH D’Avigdor, who was a pivotal figure in the Comet’s history.

“She said he was a very kind man and very supportive of the people working for him. She was the only female when she started, but during the war other women came and she was given more and more work to do, working her way up to features.

Amanda added: “She accounts her longevity to her Scottish blood and an enquiring mind, having been a journalist, plus a glass or two of red wine a day.”

Lenore married Richard Henry, known as Dick Foord and five times captain of a local rugby club, in April 1948.