Supercentenarian Hilda toasts her 110th birthday

MANY happy returns . . . Hilda Jackson with her Lifebook

1 More Image(s) In Gallery

OLDHAM-BORN supercentenarian Hilda Jackson raised a glass of sherry as she toasted her 110th birthday today — making her one of the oldest people in the country.

The magnificent milestone - supercentenarians have passed their 110th birthday - also saw Hilda receive a special gift to look back over her long life.

Hilda - nee Richmond - is believed to be the oldest living person in Lancashire and was presented with a “Lifebook” by Age UK Oldham.

Only four people in the UK are known to have lived longer, though there more whose ages haven’t been officially confirmed. There are fewer than 350 living supercentenarians worldwide.

Hilda was born in 1903 in Tamworth Street, Oldham and had two sisters — Ada and Elsie. She worked as a head telephonist for the largest textile machine engineering company in the world, Platt Bros.

The devout Royalist married Herbert, a maintenance engineer at the Co-op, on September 18, 1937, at St John’s Church in Werneth after a 10-year engagement.

They lived together at Harrow Road in Werneth, and had one son, Peter. They went on to have three grandchildren, and later three great-granddaughters and a great-grandson.

Herbert died in 1972 and tragedy struck the family in 2004 when their son Peter died of a heart attack.

The details of Hilda’s life have been chronicled in her Lifebook using her memories and photographs, and extra information from family members.

The book looks back on her hobbies, including going to church, pottery painting, baking cakes, visiting the Lyceum Theatre and playing bridge with her friends.

Hilda lived independently at the family home in Harrow Avenue until she was 102, but following a fall moved to Werneth Lodge, where she now lives.

It’s there that she’s celebrating her birthday, surrounded by her family and friends.


ONLY four people living in the United Kingdom are verified as being older than Hilda, they are:
::Grace Jones — 113 years old, born December 7, 1899

::Ethel Lang — 113 years old, born May 27, 1900

::Kathleen McManners — 112 years old, born July 6, 1901

::Dorothy Baldwin — 111 years old, born February 8, 1902