One of Shropshire's oldest residents has been raising a glass to celebrate her birthday, after reaching 104 last week.
Surrounded by cards and balloons, Hilda Cross was joined by 18 members of her family including her daughters, grandchildren and great grandchildren for a celebration at the Montgomery House care home in Shrewsbury on Saturday.
Hilda, who turned 104 on Wednesday, was born in Bolton on February 21, 1920 - just two years after the end of the First World War.
Surrounded by cards and balloons, Hilda Cross was joined by 18 members of her family including her daughters, grandchildren and great grandchildren for a celebration at the Montgomery House care home in Shrewsbury on Saturday.
Hilda, who turned 104 on Wednesday, was born in Bolton on February 21, 1920 - just two years after the end of the First World War.
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NewsTranscript
00:00 So we're just here in Shrewsbury and I just stumbled upon you sitting in the garden like this on a lovely summer's day.
00:07 In this beautiful sunshine.
00:09 104 gives it away in the background.
00:11 Hilda, I believe it's your birthday, is that right?
00:15 Yes.
00:17 104 years young, that's what we should say isn't it?
00:20 Yeah.
00:21 Joyce, this is your mum isn't it?
00:23 It is, yeah.
00:24 So she was living independently up until a good age wasn't she?
00:27 Yeah, she was nearly 101.
00:29 Yeah, that's good going isn't it?
00:31 You've got to be ready for a long getting into yourself then, she's got some good genes, family genes going on there.
00:36 Well you would think so, but you just never know do you?
00:39 And she's got a little tot of baileys there. You like a little tot still don't you? A tot of baileys or what's your tipple? What do you like?
00:46 Er, just, just...
00:49 A glass of wine?
00:51 Yeah, any glass of wine and nothing special.
00:55 Only the baileys on a special day.
00:58 Ah, I've got you.
00:59 And what about the brandy at night?
01:01 Yes, yes we would, the brandy.
01:04 So if I'm going to ask you, what's kind of the key to a good fulfilling long life, what tips would you, what would you say, what would you say back to me?
01:15 Yeah, yeah.
01:18 What would you say?
01:20 About what, the cake?
01:22 No, not the cake, you like cake. What would you say to Steve, if, what's the secret of you being so old?
01:33 This is Steve is it?
01:35 That's Steve, yeah.
01:36 What's the secret?
01:37 Well I don't plan anything to be with it, I've just always done the right thing and worked hard.
01:49 Hard.
01:50 I've always worked hard.
01:52 Yeah?
01:53 Yes.
01:54 And what did you used to do then? What was Connie...
01:56 I worked in the laundry.
01:58 Yeah? Washing knickers?
02:00 Washing knickers.
02:03 That was how you met Dad.
02:05 I used to sort them out and when they were washed, I used to sort them out.
02:12 Yeah.
02:13 That's where you met Dad, wasn't it, in the laundry?
02:16 He was the driver.
02:18 Was he?
02:19 In the army.
02:21 Did he used to come and pick the laundry up, did he?
02:25 Yes.
02:26 There you go.
02:27 Yeah, there you go.
02:28 And that was in Bolton.
02:29 Bolton?
02:30 Bolton, Lancashire.
02:31 Yeah, yeah.
02:33 So Peter Kay's territory, isn't it Bolton?
02:36 Yeah.
02:37 Good sense of humour, the Bolton people, I'm getting that from you anyway.
02:40 I never used to go out for a meal, I didn't drop the laundry off.
02:45 So that was your early dating days.
02:47 So what was courtship like back in the day?
02:50 So you'd get your undies washed, you'd get your garments washed,
02:54 and then he'd come and take you for a nice meal, would he?
02:59 Yes.
03:00 Yeah?
03:01 There were always more than one because he was a driver, there was two drivers,
03:08 so the three of us used to go out for a meal.
03:11 Yeah.
03:12 And what did you used to do back then for fun?
03:14 Now we've got computers and that.
03:16 What did you used to like to do when you was a young lady?
03:19 Was it going out dancing or going to the movies?
03:22 Oh, I used to go out to the dances and the pictures and just, you know, noble things.
03:29 Yeah?
03:30 Yeah, we didn't do anything special, unless it was somebody's birthday we'd have a party.
03:38 Yeah?
03:39 That was all.
03:40 She likes parties.
03:41 Yeah.
03:42 And what about your favourite place over the years to go on holiday?
03:45 Any particular places you've fallen in love with?
03:48 Yeah, Cleveland and Blackpool.
03:50 Okay, yeah.
03:51 We used to go.
03:52 Yeah.
03:53 Was that an annual trip, was it like a once a year trip?
03:56 Yes, with my family, because the children were only small,
04:03 and we used to go to the same people.
04:08 Yeah?
04:09 And it was an ordinary house, there was nothing special.
04:13 Yeah.
04:14 And we used to go there once a year to Cleveland.
04:18 Lovely.
04:19 And that was all that I can think of.
04:26 Yeah?
04:27 Of holidays, because it was nothing, as you say, special.
04:32 Yeah.
04:33 Well, thank you, Hilda, for sharing a few old memories with us at The Shropshire Star.
04:38 Thank you, and enjoy the rest of your birthday.
04:39 Thank you very much.
04:40 Big cheer at the back, family and friends for Hilda.
04:43 Yay!
04:44 Yay!
04:45 Yay!