Britain's oldest person dies, aged 112

Joan Hocquard died at a care home in Dorset on Saturday

Joan Hocquard, who died at a care home in Poole, Dorset (BBC)

Britain's oldest person has died at the age of 112.

Joan Hocquard died at a care home in Poole, Dorset, on Saturday, her nephew Paul Reynolds told the BBC.

Ms Hocquard, who was born on 29 March, 1908, had an "independent spirit" and did not believe there was a secret to a long life, Mr Reynolds said.

She shared a birthday with the world's oldest man Bob Weighton, 112, who died in Hampshire in May 2020.

Their final birthday celebrations were held behind closed doors due to the national coronavirus lockdown.

The pair also shared a birthday with Alf Smith, from St Madoes in Perthshire, who shared the title of Britain's oldest man with Mr Weighton until his death in 2019 at the age of 111.

Mr Reynolds told The Bournemouth Daily Echo in August that his aunt refused a card from the Queen on her 100th birthday because she "did not want people to know how old she was".

Press Association