Val Stevens has just turned 92 (on August, 5) and is quite probably the best known person in East Allington

Her father used to work at Lower Pool Farm.

She was born in the village and her life has centred around football.

Val was evacuated during the war to Little Hempston near Totnes.

She went to Berry Pomeroy School and recalls: “The head teacher there was called Miss Graff. “You used to have a third of a pint of milk in a bottle at playtime.

“I met the best friend you could ever have.

“She was called Mary Jordan but is gone now.”

After the war aged 18 she got involved in East Allington United, playing football against both girls and boys but also washing the kit which she has been doing for almost 70 years as she explains: “I washed the orange kit when we were over in the other house because I had white cloth cuffs and I thought how the hell can I get the white cuffs back to white so I stuck them in a boiler it was a thicker material then but now it's easy it's you know it just slides out of the material if you're sensible enough.”

Football means a huge amount to Val and always has done: “It just means life I mean I played football against the men I’ve still got got my boots in the shed.

“I remember we played a match against the men and beat them.

“I’ve got pictures of that at home and I was the captain.

“The setup was different than it is then I mean you had different positions I scored the most goals.”

Football is still a major part of Val’s life and recently during the World Cup she stayed up all night to watch the England v Mexico game and this followed a busy time at a fun day.

Val has a son aged 70 and two daughters aged 67 and 55, she also has six grandsons as well as two great grandsons and two great grand daughters.

Aside from football, Val loves Gary Barlow and went to see him last year.

Although she was one of thousands of fans, she was the one who stood out when Gary sang her happy birthday: “So he said: ‘There she is, up in the white coat.

‘Hello, Val, sweetheart’, and all that.

“I was overcome, I really was.

“There were 5,600 people sang that song to me, and they all turned around.

“Absolutely fantastic.

“Oh, he's a man of common sense, and he's got a lovely attitude towards everything and every person.

“I'd like to meet him personally.”

Val clearly has a love of life and is full of enthusiasm for everything she does as she explained:

“It's an outlook for me to keep me alive because you've got to keep your mind and your body active and then you don't need any doctor.

“I told the doctor that and she said I wish you'd come and give my patients that very good advice.”