THE niece of a woman who died at the age of 104 has paid tribute to her aunt.

Gertrude Hutchinson died on Sunday at Southwood Nursing Home, in Northallerton, where she had been a resident for seven years.

She was born in Topcliffe, near Thirsk, in 1900.

In 1935, she went to work for Methodist minister Dr Leslie Weatherhead, in London.

She was his housekeeper until he died in 1975 when she moved back to her native North Yorkshire.

Her niece, Edna Wetherill, said: "She was just a lovely, good person and she had a very interesting life.

"She devoted herself to the Methodist church and she was very highly thought of by Dr Weatherhead and his family."

Her funeral will be held at the Northallerton Methodist Chapel, starting at 1pm, on Monday.