A WELLINGTON woman has celebrated her 105th birthday with two parties in the town.

Pat Aldridge, who now lives at Nynehead Court, was born Patricia Diana Boycott near Solihull in Warwickshire on November 26, 1914. Her father, a butcher, misspelt her middle name, so it is Dina.

She was the fifth of eight children and had an idyllic childhood. Her mother was an expert knitter and made all the family’s socks and vests. She was an expert at turning the heel of socks, a skill Pat never mastered.

The family lived in the countryside and had a pond which froze in winter, so villagers would go and skate on it. The ice was so thick no-one ever fell through. Icicles used to hang from the houses and children would break them off and eat them like ice lollies.

Pat attended the local school until she was 14. She started to learn to write and do figures in a sand tray, then on a slate, then pencil and paper and finally a pen. The pencil ends were always well chewed and as the pen was a dip pen her hands were always covered in ink.

Her sister Mary passed the exam to grammar school but she did not try. Pat’s father died at 80 and her mother lived to be 90 but she still misses her sister who died of pneumonia at 56.

After school Pat went into selling gowns. For a time she worked in Selfridges and enjoyed living in London. She returned to Warwickshire with her husband, an engineer who worked for the SW electricity board. They had five children and decided to move to Cornwall, opening a Post Office outside Truro.

It was very hard work – the papers were delivered by train and did not arrive until 9am. Pat used to deliver the papers on a bike, which she feels explains the arthritis in her knees today. She and her husband were supposed to have Wednesdays off but needed to take their Austin 7 van to Plymouth to re-stock the shop. Pat was still delivering newspapers on her bike when they gave up the Post Office when they retired.

Pat’s daughter Mary Jane Yates taught Biology at Court Fields School in Wellington, so Pat moved to the town to be nearer her daughter. Pat is still a keen knitter but is finding it harder to enjoy reading. She is a regular member at the Wednesday Club at Lodge Close.

Pat lived independently until recently but decided to live at Nynehead Court because her family were moving away and she wanted to remain close to her friends.

One of her parties was held in the Orangery at Nynehead Court and home manager Angela Watkins said: “We were delighted to be able to share Pat’s big day.”

The other party was held with friends at Lodge Court at the Wednesday Lunch Club.