ROSEMARY Rigby, the formidable character behind a number of local charities, is to celebrate a major birthday with the community.

Rosemary, who is the founder of the museum dedicated to Violette Szabó, the British/French Special Operations Executive agent and is one of the Ross Action Bus committee, will celebrate her 90th birthday at the Pilgrim Hotel in Much Birch on January 10 between 2.30pm and 5pm.

It was the Ross Gazette which suggested that she should embrace her milestone birthday and make a big occasion out of it.

In typical fashion, Rosemary agreed to mark her 90th birthday but said she doesn’t need presents but would prefer to receive donations for the Action Bus instead.

Rosemary has spent much of her life fundraising. For 30 years she worked for the Royal National Institute for the Blind from 1966 to 1996. In her final year she collected £82,610 for the Talking Books for the Blind project.

It was also in 1966 that Rosemary was one of the crew who proposed providing Ross-on-Wye with an Action Bus, which is still running today.

The earliest fundraising events included a sponsored walk with everyone taking part wearing hot pants, which accurately dates this time period.

The Ross Gazette has reported on the Action Bus on numerous occasions, ever since the first proposal for the scheme was made, and the various buses that have been purchased. It was also the Gazette’s Charity of the Year in 2017.

But Rosemary is probably best known for the museum in Wormelow honouring the life of Violette Szabó who died towards the end of the Second World War.

The museum, located in the grounds of Rosemary’s home, a place where the war heroine stayed during her leave and spent time convalescing, was opened by actress Virginia McKenna, who portrayed Violette in the film ‘Carve Her Name with Pride’, making it a unique tribute.