WHEN the Queen Mother celebrates her 100th birthday tomorrow, it is guaranteed that one royal fan will be bringing out the bunting - and the commemorative books, plates, spoons, pictures and trinkets.

Magistrate Anita Atkinson is a committed monarchist and the extent of her passion becomes clear the moment anyone walks into her home, at Fir Tree, near Crook, County Durham.

Pictures of Britain's first family stare down from every wall and royal trinkets cover every surface.

The collection, which appears to contain everything but the crown jewels, started with a pack of jubilee playing cards given to Anita in 1976, and snowballed into what she believes may be the biggest collection of royal memorabilia in the world.

She is trying for a world record bid for the largest collection of royal souvenirs. She owns about 1,200 items, which doesn't include the hundreds of newspapers and magazines she has also saved.

Most of the items are given to Anita, who sometimes finds carrier bags of memorabilia left at her back door.

Her favourite item is a special edition silver jubilee sweet bag.

Anita has been busy preparing for the Queen Mother's 100th birthday tomorrow.

"The Queen Mother isn't my favourite, but you can't help but like a 100-year-old lady. She's made of steel."

Anita has read more than 300 books on the royalty and often gives talks at Women's Institute meetings and in schools.

She has even named two of her children after royalty.

Her 11-year-old daughter's middle name is Anne, after Anita's favourite royal, and her other daughter, Ruth, was given the middle name Elizabeth.

Ruth was due to be born on Prince Charles' wedding day. Anita said: "At first I wanted to watch the wedding, but then I really wanted her to be born on the day.

"I was running up and down stairs, driving over bumpy roads, I even tried drinking castor oil, but it didn't work."

"But my family get really bored with it. None of them are royalists."