TERESA Snowball received a special gift for her 100th birthday - 100 packets of custard creams.

The delighted great-grandmother, who celebrated her birthday last week, tucked into her favourite biscuits with family and friends at South Church Nursing Home near Bishop Auckland.

Tess, as she is known to everybody, is still the life and soul of the party and likes nothing better than a glass of sherry and her favourite treat.

Her niece Helen Stott, who works at Asda, Bishop Auckland, approached bosses at the store to help make her aunt's birthday a day to remember.

Mrs Stott said: "I think she's wonderful. She loves custard creams and when I told the store about her birthday they said I could have whatever I want.''

Mrs Stott and her colleagues went along to the nursing home with Mrs Snowball's daughter Terry, 65, and husband Peter Eggleston, 67, to present their gift.

Mrs Snowball is well-known in Bishop Auckland, as was her husband Sid, who died in 1984, for the businesses they ran.

Born in Tow Law, she left school at the age of 13 taking up a post at GC Young's Fruit Warehouse in Bishop Auckland.

There she met Sid, who became a councillor in the town, and the couple spent 60 'glorious' years together, eventually setting up Snowballs Motor factors in Railway Street, which is currently run by grandchildren Julie Hardaker and Stephen Snowball.

Mr and Mrs Snowball had three children, Ken, 64, and Frank, 67, who both died in 1996, and Terry.

Mrs Snowball is still very close to her ten grandchildren and eight grandchildren, who joined in her celebrations at a party in St Thomas's Church Hall, Shildon.

Daughter Terry said: "Top of her shopping list always used to be a bottle of whiskey, a bottle of sherry and 200 cigarettes. She is a strong lady who has worked hard and she's had a very good life."