Centenarian Joan (101) aims to finish 102 laps of park before next birthday

Following in Captain Sir Thomas Moore’s footsteps, the former auxiliary nurse and Second World War veteran aims to raise as much money as possible for the service she worked in for much of her life.

Joan Rich has already completed 34 laps of Allenby Park in Felixstowe, Suffolk. The active centenarian aims to complete the circuit 102 times before she turns 102 on September 11.

Using her frame, or pushing her wheelchair, she walks around the park completing a 560m walk from door to door. By September she’ll have walked more than 35 miles.

Mrs Rich said she was inspired to complete the challenge after seeing “NHS” mowed into the lawn of the park.

“Even behind a mask, NHS staff always make you smile,” she said.

Her daughter Diane Rich, who accompanies her on the walks, set up a JustGiving page to raise funds for NHS charities.

“When the park opened up we came here and saw that ‘NHS’ had been mowed into the grass, it was almost like it was a thank you to Joan as well,” Diane said.

“We meet new people in the park, all sorts, we have made new friends with people with dogs, families and even teenagers have been really polite and respectful.

“An eight-year-old said to Joan ‘You are teaching us that we can do anything, that we don’t give up’.”

Joan, who was a nurse at Felixstowe General Hospital between 1964 and 1978, said she sometimes had to take trips to the park during shifts when patients absconded from the hospital.

Mrs Rich also worked at Hillingdon Hospital in west London.