Norrie Woodhall was an English stage actress and the last surviving member of the Hardy Players, a theatrical group based around the work of poet Thomas Hardy

Thomas Hardy

Thomas Hardy, OM was an English novelist and poet. While his works typically belong to the Naturalism movement, several poems display elements of the previous Romantic and Enlightenment periods of literature, such as his fascination with the supernatural.While he regarded himself primarily as a...

, whom Woodhall knew personally after an encounter in 1924. The Hardy Players became defunct in 1928, shortly after Hardy's death, but after its reformation in 2005 she decided to return to the stage at the age of 100.

In 2010 it was revealed that a collection of Hardy's work was to be sold at charity events. Woodhall, along with support from institutions such as the University of Exeter

University of Exeter

The University of Exeter is a public university in South West England. It belongs to the 1994 Group, an association of 19 of the United Kingdom's smaller research-intensive universities....

 and Dorset County Museum

Dorset County Museum

The Dorset County Museum is located in Dorchester, Dorset, England. Founded in 1846, the museum covers the county of Dorset's history and environment. The current building was built in 1881 on the former site of the George Inn...

, launched a campaign to raise £58,000 to buy the collection.

Woodhall died at the age of 105. On its website the group said it would miss her "inspiration and guidance".

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