A Hendon great-grandmother who turned 105 last week has shared the secrets of her longevity: the love of her family and walking for one hour every day.

Sally Bloom, one of the oldest living Londoners, celebrated the milestone at her home in Hendon, surrounded by relatives and friends, as well as one of her favourite singers, Frank Sinatra –  or at least, a very convincing impersonator.

Recalling a dance with the performer, she said: “I was dancing – holding on – but dancing. It was wonderful.”

Sally Bloom on her 105th birthday, dancing with her grandson Jamie (Photo: Daniel Brookman)

Born on January 4, 1920, in Hackney, east London, Sally left school shortly before she was 14, starting her first job soon afterwards, where she earnt £2.50 a week.

She worked in fashion retail, later returning to the profession at 59, following the death of her husband, Cyril, in the late Seventies.

“I fibbed about my age. I told them I was younger than I was,” she recalled. When she left her job, her colleagues threw a party for her, and it was only then that they discovered her real age was 80. One of them “nearly passed out”, recalled Sally.

During World War Two, she lived in Maidenhead in Berkshire and hoped to become an ambulance driver, “but I couldn’t even drive”.

Instead, she worked on the switchboard for the fire brigade.

She later moved to Richmond, and when her husband returned from the war after five years, to Temple Fortune, and later to Hendon, where she has lived for about 65 years.

Sally Bloom with her late husband Cyril

Attributing her extraordinary physical and mental fortitude to regular exercise, the member of Finchley Synagogue said: “All through my 80s, till I got to 90, four mornings a week, I did a Pilates class, [and] I did an aqua aerobics class. After the aqua aerobics class, if I felt like it, I would do 30 lengths.”

Living independently until just two years ago, Sally now has a live-in carer, Lois Mayombo, who accompanies her on daily walks.

According to international professional photographer and friend Daniel Brookman, who has posted photographs of Sally on social media to “capture her zest for life [and] magnetic energy”, she has become something of a local celebrity as she walks in the park.

“Everyone knows Sally, and everyone chats to her,” Daniel said. “She is a famous figure in her area.”

He decided to post the photos on his Instagram page @ukphotographer “as I thought it would be enlightening for people to see that you don’t have to be young to be interesting online,” he said.

Sally walking with her carer Lois Mayombo (Photo: Daniel Brookman)

Daniel added: “She has incredible vitality for someone of her age, and it’s eye-opening for a lot of people to see that at 105, someone can still be elegantly dressed and really articulate.”

Sally said that aside from keeping fit, she owed her long life – and enjoyment of it – to the love of her family – her two daughters, three grandchildren and three greatgrandchildren.

“Sometimes, I feel very old because nothing gets better physically; everything gets worse. But half the time, I feel I am so lucky. I’m blessed.

“I’m still around. I’ve got so much love from my family… so it’s a mixture of feelings.”

Sally with daughter Jacqui and grandson Jamie

Sally’s daughter, Jacqui Morris, told the JC: “[My mum] is completely with it, and her memory is better than mine. She is very young at heart.”

Jacqui put her mother’s resilience down to “walking an hour a day, her spirit – she never gives in – and her family. It keeps her going.”