ONE of the region’s oldest residents celebrated her 108th birthday yesterday.
Great-great-grandmother Jeannie Pattison says the secret behind her long life is drinking boiled water every morning and night, and eating an apple a day.
She marked her birthday with a family celebration at Howlish Hall Nursing Home, Coundon, County Durham.
Mrs Pattinson had six children with her late husband William, who died in 1983, and the couple lived in Bishop Auckland throughout their 60-year marriage. She worked as a house-keeper, bus conductor, and a dinner lady at Cockton Hill School, in Bishop Auckland, for many years.
She has 15 grandchildren, 25 great-grandchildren, and three great-great grandchildren.
Granddaughter Pauline Dowson said her grandmother still likes knitting, and enjoys a sherry, adding: “She has good and bad days, but she is a character. She has always looked after everyone.”
Durham County Council leader Brian Myers visited Mrs Pattison yesterday with a bouquet of flowers.
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