A 102-year-old is celebrating nearly 60 years of volunteering on behalf of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.

Lil Morton, who has lived in Chelsea most of her life, was born in 1911 and has worked tirelessly to raise money to buy items that make a child’s time in hospital more bearable.

She rattled tins in the street, written to thousands of people asking for donations, and helped organise countless fundraiser events - and she shows no sign of slowing down.

Mrs Morton joined the Children’s Hospital Trust Fund sister charity, the St Nicholas Fund, in 1956, helping to provide everything from toys and cots to sophisticated equipment for children in the then-named St Stephen’s Hospital in Fulham Road.

She said: “I wanted something to do, as I was married to a judge it wasn't seemly for me to have a job. I was always very fond of children and after I had looked after my own two when they were tiny I then volunteered for children through the St Nicholas Fund.

“The charity started with 25 members, mainly the wives of doctors, and we raised money with collection boxes around the hospital and at Christmas we would hold Christmas fairs and dances and hung Christmas stockings in local shops to raise money.

“We would give toys to the children in isolation wards to keep them occupied as they were too sick to have contact with anyone else, including their parents who had to talk to them through a glass screen and put their arms through a bubble for contact.

“But these days as our fundraising has gathered pace we now donate money to buy equipment too. We always need more help so please donate to the Children's Hospital Trust if you can.”

Mrs Morton still drives regularly, but can remember horses on London’s streets as well as there being straw on the road outside what is now Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.

The Children’s Hospital Trust Fund is the children and babies’ charity at the hospital, fundraising to buy new equipment for sick youngsters.

Its recent Pluto Appeal campaign raised more than £1million to pay for a new surgical robot, called Pluto, to allow surgeons to perform intricate surgery on children and babies with more precision, better recovery times and smaller scars.

A spokeswoman said: “The St Nicholas Fund raises money to buy much-needed play equipment for the children in Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and has made a very welcome contribution to the Pluto Appeal. We are so grateful to Lil for her care and dedication. She really is an inspiration to us all.”

For more information, or to donate, visit www.chtrustfund.org.uk .