GREAT-grandmother Rose Mallows enjoyed her 100th birthday surrounded by her friends and family from across the country.

Her party was held at Avon Court residential home in Chippenham where Mrs Mallows has lived for four years.

Attending the celebrations was her 94-year-old sister Doris, who lives in Surrey, and Mrs Mallows' two sons Eric, 70, and John, 75, with their children and grandchildren.

She said: "I am having a lovely day and I shall miss them all when they go."

Mr Mallows junior said his mother was still a really lively character. "She is a lively spark and she has a bit of a joke with the staff here," he said.

Mrs Mallows was born in Harwich in Essex and had five sisters and one brother, but Doris is the only surviving sibling. She worked as a housekeeper.

Her husband Albert, who was a merchant seaman, died in 1970 and she never remarried.