A SENIOR citizen community stalwart who won a battle against cancer is still working tirelessly in the community at the age of 84.

Glowing Gourock gran Alvera Rodgers has spent decades putting others before herself and has no intention of stopping any time soon.

Alvera, originally from South Africa, has been working tirelessly in the Inverclyde community for over 20 years and has brought joy to many local people.

She's worked at the Inverclyde Royal Hospital shop for the past six and a half years and regularly visits adults with learning disabilities at Caladh House and attends and promotes daytime discos for elderly folk to tackle loneliness.

Alvera is being recognised as part of the Telegraph's ongoing coverage from the International Women's Day celebrations - but the modest unsung hero insists she does not deserve any special praise.

She said: "I don't think anything I do is out of the ordinary, I just really like to help people.

"My motto is take each day as it comes, keep your chin up and keep smiling."

The big-hearted volunteer used to also go round the hospital with the tea trolley and has made an effort to never miss a birthday celebration of the Caladh House residents.

The glam gran moved to the UK 58 years ago and she worked for Crosse & Blackwell in London before relocating to Inverclyde with late husband, John.

Both Alvera and John battled cancer and despite her own health issues, she cared for John until he passed away.

After she got the all-clear, the kind-hearted pensioner raised £2,300 for Breast Cancer Care through a charity night and took part in the charity's Glasgow fashion show in 2015.

Now, the mum-of-three dedicates her days to making the lives of local people better, even keeping small gifts in her handbag if she thinks someone 'needs a pick-me up'.

She said: "I don't smoke, don't drink and just enjoy a ginger beer now and then.

"Helping other people helps me."

Alvera is a keen dancer who attends line dancing every Thursday in the Royalle Club in Gourock and she is the first on the floor at the weekly pensioners' discos at McGeoch's.

She used to teach a wheelchair dance class in Larkfield too.

Alvera said: "I hadn't danced for over 40 years when I started again, but it is something I've enjoyed from a very young age - I used to dance with my brother.

"I still love to jive and move.

"Dancing brings me and other people a lot of joy."

Fellow line-dancer, Valerie Ward, says her friend Alvera 'puts many a woman of lesser years to shame with her vibrant attitude to life'.

She told the Tele: "She makes everyone feel very welcome wherever she goes and encourages everyone to join in with all the fun.

"She deserves to be thanked for her efforts in the community."

As well as aiding lots of local causes, Alvera lends a helping hand to her daughter, Lynne, who has a barbershop in Dunoon.

Her other children, Anne Warnock and Kevin Rodgers, are well-known names in the Inverclyde community through their work with Kidology nursery and Inverkip Community Hub respectively.