Born Mary Bath Fenwick at Furnace Bank in Bedlington, she soon moved to the Isabella Colliery where she enjoyed a happy childhood, not only with her parents and three older siblings, but also with many companions, some of whom became lifelong friends and indeed are here today. She remained proud of her Isabella roots and valued the close-knit community it had been; so much so that, in her retirement, Mary enjoyed researching local history.
 
As a teenager Mary joined the Independent Methodist Church youth group, The Chapel as it was known, and very quickly became involved in the organisation and running of the club; it was here that she met Tom, Thomas Smith Clough, her dearly loved husband until his death in 2001. In the intervening sixty plus years Mary continued to serve the church as well as local communities in a variety of capacities: running Sunday School and the youth group; personally hosting preachers and missionaries; and holding church officer posts, as well as some wider national church representation.
 
Throughout her working life Mary provided a service to the local people of Blyth, initially as an optician's receptionist, and then, along with Tom, through their wool and drapery business. They continued to serve their local, as well as the wider, communities for over 40 working years, latterly as proprietors of the local newsagents, where Mary was often seen delivering the morning papers!


Socialising was something Mary loved and she was good at bringing people together. Never being one to miss an opportunity for celebrations, she could always be relied upon to organise a street party for any key royal event.  Forty years later many locals continue to reminisce about these fantastic street parties, and she was missed at the recent VE Day celebrations!
 
For over fifty years Mary was active in raising funds for the Royal Victoria Infirmary League of Hospital Friends in Newcastle, over which time the group raised in excess of £70,000. Never one to be idle, Mary was also active in the Women's Institute; and for over twenty five years was an active member and past president of the Inner Wheel Club of Blyth who worked relentlessly to raise funds for their chosen charities. Throughout her time in Inner Wheel, Mary was pivotal in providing tea on Thursday afternoons for the members of the local Blind Club; something she continued right up until she went into hospital, aged 86 herself!

Mary has a long history, spanning in excess of sixty five years, of working tirelessly for a variety of good causes. Charities, church and the community around Blyth have all benefited from her life and actions, and this was appropriately recognised when she was named Rotary Citizen of the Year for this year.  Mary believed that if you join something, you should get involved, and that it is important to help others and give generously to your community.  This was central to her values, her life and her service. It is particularly touching and apposite that the last function she attended, before going into hospital in November 2019, was an Inner Wheel event when she was presented with the prestigious Margarette Golding Award. In the words of the International Inner Wheel, the criteria for success for this award, held only by two hundred people worldwide, are set high, so that it remains a truly significant marker of an individual’s commitment to others.