Born in November 1905, Mrs Hardwick has devoted her whole life to her local community as postmistress of Ancaster village in Lincolnshire. A member of the parish council for 35 years, she has helped raise enough money to buy playing fields for the local children.
As far as she is concerned, her philanthropic lifestyle has proved life-preserving.
Research has suggested a decrease in mortality figures among those who put others before themselves. The theory is that giving back can provide a sense of purpose and self-worth and result in the "helper's high" - a "physical sensation" resulting from the endorphin release after an act of kindness or generosity.
Some argue that these feelings can reduce stress, promote wellbeing and strengthen the immune system.
But what does the science say about the effect of an alcoholic beverage on life expectancy?
Deaths from liver disease in England reached record levels according to NHS figures in March 2012. Yet a university study has claimed that drinking tiny amounts of alcohol could possibly increase life expectancy, with the caveat that this anti-ageing experiment was only conducted with worms and not human beings.
One centenarian who did enjoy a martini was comedian and cigar-smoking actor George Burns, who died at the age of 100. "It takes only one drink to get me drunk. The trouble is, I can't remember if it's the thirteenth or the fourteenth," he famously joked.
Scientific theories have always tended to concentrate on the physical changes that we can make to our lifestyle in an attempt to avoid age related diseases and prolong life expectancy such as taking regular exercise and eating a balanced, healthy diet, rich in vitamins and minerals. Some studies have argued that a low calorie diet can increase average life expectancy by as much as 25 years.
A study published in the journal, Applied Psychology: Health and Wellbeing, in 2011 appears to back up this theory, claiming that positive thinkers and happier people do live longer.
Peggy Hovell, 100, is positive to the point of being fearless. Her plans for a charity parachute jump in her 90s were thwarted on medical advice.
"They said that if I did that jump it would probably tear my retina and give me blindness. I couldn't get a doctor's certificate after that," she says.
Rather than slowing down as she gets older, she is actually speeding up.
"I just love driving and I like driving fast," says the centenarian, who used to drive a van and deliver groceries during World War II.
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