A new room in a Wormlow museum dedicated to a British heroine will be opened to mark her 100th birthday.

Honouring the achievments of British spy Violette Szabó, the Violette Szabó Museum has been extended to inlude a new room called Violette’s reading room.

Rosemary Rigby had the works done prior to the upcoming parade which is set to take place in Wormlow, July 10. The works cost Rosmary a substantial amount of money, but felt it was the only way to honour such an admired British heroine.

Violette Szabó GC, was parachuted into Nazi-occupied France, captured, tortured and killed at the age of 23. Whilst Violette Szabó was born in 1921, the museum was closed and the celebrations were postponed due to Covid-19.

The parade is set to take place on Sunday, July 10 at 1.30pm. It will start from the park in Wormlow, go through the Millenium Green, to the Violette Szabó Museum. A piper is set to lead the first half of the parade, with a racehorse bearing her namesake will be leading the second half of the parade. The RAF have organised a flyover of a Hurricane aircraft for 3pm in her honour. The racehorse, which had won at Beverly races last year with odds at seven-to-one, will be there from 12 noon until 2pm.

Members from her organisation, the FANYs are also due to be in the parade, as are members from the Royal British Legion. The First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY), founded in 1907, is an all-female organisation which deploys rapid response teams to support civil and military authorities in times of crisis. The deputy to HM’s Lord-Lieutenant of Herefordshire Mr Paul Deneen OBE, JP, DL is also expected to be in attendance.

Violette stayed at the house in Wormelow when she was recuperating from an accident. Rosemary Rigby MBE, who owns the house, was never aware of its history when she bought it. As part of the celebrations, a new room has been added to the museum, called Violette’s reading room.