May is 101

101 today . . . May Perrins

FAMILY and friends are the key to happiness for May Perrins — and she will be surrounded by well-wishers as she celebrates her 101st birthday today.

The sprightly centenarian will have a party to mark the occasion at Oakdene nursing and residential home in Lees.

Guests will include fellow 101-year-old Irene Jones, who has recently moved into Oakdene and was a childhood friend of May’s.

May was born on Oldham Edge six years before the outbreak of the First World War when Edward VII was on the throne.

The hard grafter started work at Windsor Mill when she was 12-years-old and went into service as a maid in Lees when the mill closed during a recession.

May met her husband Lawrence at a dance at Springhead Congregational Church when he was playing saxophone and clarinet with the band.

The pair married at St Thomas’s, Leesfield, in 1935 and Lawrence, who died in 1968, served abroad for several years during the Second World War with the Royal Engineers.

The lovebirds set up a plumbing business in Springhead and had two sons, Lawrence (72) and Warner who died in 2002, aged 60.

The family now boasts four grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

For many years, May was a key member of Springhead Congregational Church. She also enjoyed travelling and whist drives.