Secret to a long life...

Ivy Clegg is the lady in red for her 108th birthday celebration. Above right: Ivy on her 107th birthday last year

Her daughter-in-law, Linda Clegg, who had brought Ivy’s 10-month-old great-grandson William to the birthday celebrations, said the secret to a long life must be eating plenty and avoiding hospitals.

Linda said: “She would say ‘eat your dinner’ and ‘avoid hospitals.’ She loves her dinner. She always eats lots and always has done – three meals a day.

“She keeps away from hospitals as well.

“She’s only ever been in to have her cataracts done and that was back when they used to keep you in for that. She’s on no medication either.”

Linda, 70, added: “I always remember when we moved her into a new bungalow at 80 and people said it was a mistake “at her age”.

“But she was still going on holiday to Blackpool at 100.

“At 102 she said she wanted new carpets and I thought ‘well OK then.’”

Referring to Ivy’s hearing problems, Linda said: “People think she’s confused but she just can’t hear.

“It’s only been in the last two months that she’s had trouble and before that she was playing dominoes. I’m taking her to get a new hearing aid next week.”

Ivy left school at 14 to work at Sykes and Tunnicliffe rugmakers in Almondbury. She left work when she married her husband Clifford in 1933.

She was widowed more than 40 years ago and looked after her father, Arthur Leonard, who lived to be 100. Her son Peter passed away three years ago aged 74.