Key to a long life - determination to succeed - reveals Banbury woman celebrating her 100th birthday

Edith Adelaide Carter, a resident at Care UK’s Highmarket House in North Bar Place, celebrated becoming a centenarian on April 7 with friends at the home and team members.

On the day, Edith had a special lunch with her daughter and was treated to a birthday cake made by the home’s chef, which she shared with fellow residents as they swapped stories on growing up in war times.

In addition to hard work and determination, Edith said the secret to living a long life was to “not let anything bother you and smile when things are going against you.”

Jo Pohl, home manager at Highmarket House, said: “Edith has worked hard throughout her life, so we were really excited to give her a chance to put her feet up and celebrate such an incredible milestone.

“Here at Highmarket House, we strive to make an occasion of birthdays, and Edith’s 100th was no exception. Everyone had a wonderful time celebrating with cake and balloons. Happy birthday Edith!”

Edith was born in Southwark, London, in 1921. She went on to work as WRAF Balloon Operator during the war.

She married her husband John George, known as Jack, in Lambeth, in 1940, and together they had two daughters, Brenda and Pauline.

A keen seamstress, Edith regularly made clothes for her daughters, and later for her granddaughter, Becky. The family moved to Surrey in 1960, then to Banbury in 1980, with Edith working as a seamstress until her retirement. Even in her retirement Edith kept busy, managing caravan sites with her husband well into her 80s.

Her love of words led her to Scrabble and cryptic crosswords, a passion she shares with her daughters and granddaughter. A competitive individual, Edith once walked out of a Scrabble tournament because she found the competition too easy – Jack, her husband, rarely won against her, as their daughter recalls.