A WELL-KNOWN Pencaitland resident and charity fundraiser has celebrated her 100th birthday.

Bella Davidson celebrated the big day last Thursday.

She was born at Boggs Holdings, near Pencaitland, in 1920, before moving to Trevelyan Place in Pencaitland when she was 13 years old.

She was educated in local schools, with her primary school being on the site of the current Castlesound Studios.

She spent the next 86 years of her life in Pencaitland and now lives in Florabank Christian Residential Care Home, Haddington.

One job she had during her working life was as a housemaid to one of the local farmers.

Bella is the last remaining of her siblings, having grown up alongside 11 brothers and two sisters, who have all passed away.

Bella never married and had no children but is well known in the county for helping and organising charity events, having been a member of the Woman’s Guild.

She often helped the guild run comfort dances in Saltoun Hall to fund parcels to send to soldiers fighting in the Second World War.

In her later years, she organised ceilidhs in aid of Cancer Research and to fund a lectern for Pencaitland Parish Church, in memory of the late Jock Taylor, a Pencaitland man who was a world champion motorcycle sidecar racer.

Bella was a keen gardener and spent many days working in her greenhouse planting seeds for flowers and vegetables.

She was also a member of Pencaitland Day Centre and spent many happy times there before taking ill.

Bella fell in her bedroom during Christmas time last year, breaking her shoulder and having to be taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh for treatment.

She was then brought to East Lothian Community Hospital in Haddington and, with the fall leaving her unable to stand on her own, the decision was made for her to become a resident at Florabank.

She now enjoys her days relaxing in the company of her fellow residents at Florabank.