Jean was the first woman to sell corn at the old Spalding Exchange

The first woman to sell corn on Spalding Corn Exchange has passed away just a week after her 100th birthday.

Jean Farrow had practised the ‘flossing’ dance with her great-grandchildren and demonstrated an elegant off-drive cricket shot to celebrate her milestone birthday before her death on February 19.

Mrs Farrow was the daughter of the late George Elsom, of Elsom’s Seeds, and had the honour of selling the first corn on the Corn Exchange while helping her father.

She attended Ayscoughfee and the Spalding High School before going on to study speech therapy at Central School of Speech and Drama.

During the Second World War, Mrs Farrow became a nurse based in Boston and Bletchley.

She went on to marry well-known bulb grower and farmer Doug and had lived in Holbeach St Marks, Spalding and Moulton.

Mrs Farrow was a keen sportswoman representing Lincolnshire at hockey and captaining Holbeach and Long Sutton hockey club.

She was Lady Captain and President of Spalding Golf club and a County Veteran. She also played tennis for Holbeach Town and taught several of her family to sail on the River Welland.

She was a central figure in the Holbeach Amateur Dramatic Society, taking part in productions such as Flarepath and played the violin in the Spalding orchestra.

Mrs Farrow was also chairman of Hovenden House Cheshire home and started the Bluebell old peoples club in Holbeach St Marks.

She became a county councillor and played a significant part in the founding of the George Farmer school in Holbeach.

Gardening played a central part in her life and she was still pruning her roses at the age of 99. Nevertheless, it was her four children, five grandchildren and seven great grandchildren that were most important to her.