LIFELONG Dorset resident Edith Reeves celebrated her 100th birthday with a family party on Sunday (MAY 31).

Mrs Reeves was joined by her son Graham and an array of grandchildren at the Ashley Court Care Home in St Peters Road, Parkstone, where they enjoyed a cake and presented her with flowers and birthday cards - among them a card from the Queen.

Born in Upton on May 31, 1915, she lived through the latter days of the First World War, saw her husband Jack fight in the second, and went on to raise a large family in the Christchurch area.

Mr Reeves, her son, said: "She said to me 'how old are you now Graham' and I said '60'. She said 'how old am I then' and I said '100', and she said 'I am not'.

"She knows she is 100 but she is not the sort to make a fuss.

"She loves her family and hasn't had much time for other interests, which might explain how she has made it to 100. She and her husband were devoted to each other - they had more than 70 years together.

"It is nice to get her thinking back to her past, bringing back some old memories."

Although born in Poole, Mrs Reeves was raised in Horton, attending the village school. In her youth she spent three months in hospital with a heart condition, however it doesn't seem to have slowed her down.

She began work as a dental nurse in Christchurch but after her marriage in the Priory Church in the late 1930s she gave it up to devote herself to her family. She greatly enjoys country music.

She had two children, Graham and David, although David has since passed away,and now has five grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren.