Belong resident celebrates centenary with writing trophy

A 100-year-old woman from Crewe has won the Grow Old Disgracefully writing competition with a vivid childhood memory of being saved by a bathtub, almost a century ago.
Irene Schofield, resident of Belong Crewe care village on Brookhouse Drive, impressed a panel of judges with her ‘Saved by a bathtub’ story, a true recollection starring her four-year-old self, and took away the accolade for authors who reside in care facilities, proving the value of sharing memories, however old they may be.
Set on a warm summer’s day, the tale recalls a young Irene sneaking out of an afternoon nap to finish cleaning bedroom windows her mother had begun washing before leaving to attend to a visitor. Having lost her balance on the windowsill, the helpful toddler toppled 40 feet, landing safely in a tin bath dedicated to her brothers’ mining work clothes. Once she was located, checked-over and cuddled by her horrified mother, a now dirty Irene was sent for a clean-up, ironically, this time in the family’s bathtub.
Irene Schofield remembers: “I never did get thanked for cleaning those windows! I’ve always been better at telling stories than writing them. When working as a shop assistant years ago, every time I’d dress and wash the windows, I’d think about what happened to me. I thought other people would enjoy reading about my mischief, and so decided to share it with the world. It’s amazing that I won, I’m still in shock – I've never been famous before.”
The competition was set up by The Grow Old Disgracefully Charitable Trust and invited the over-90s to pen short stories to the theme of childhood anecdotes, with a judging panel made up of BAFTA-winning film actress, Virginia McKenna; children’s author, Lauren St John; BBC broadcaster, Nicholas Owen; crime writer, Peter James; and Scottish literary agent, Judy Moir.
Kathryn Farmer, general manager at Belong Crewe, said: “We’re ever so proud of Irene’s win. It just goes to show that a good story can stand the test of time. Her win has inspired our other residents to regale us with a number of personal tales, many of which involve them growing old a little disgracefully!”

Pictured: Irene Scofield with her win