A ROMSEY woman has celebrated her 103rd birthday.

Lillian Lawrence, who lives at Marie Louise House, celebrated the special day on Friday, March 10. Staff at the care home marked the occasion with a small party in her room.

Born in London in 1920, Lillian worked in a shoe shop as a little girl. When the Second World War broke out she signed up to the Land Army in Kent, where she spent a long period of her life. She married her husband, who was in the merchant navy, in 1944 and gave birth to her only daughter Trish in 1946.

Trish, 76, remembered that her mother enjoys artistic endeavours during this time, saying: “In Kent she belonged to a class where she used to make Faberge Eggs, she was quite artistic. She made one and was nominated to take it to London for the Queen Mother’s 80th birthday. So, one of her eggs, a turquoise egg, was given to The Queen Mother.”

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Lillian would eventually leave Kent and move to Romsey to be closer to Trish, who lives in Hiltingbury. She has lived in Romsey for 45 years, spending eight years as a resident of Marie Louise House.

As part of the celebrations, the care home staff called on children from local schools to write birthday cards for Lillian, something which Trish called  “a lovely thing”.

Pupils from Romsey Primary School and Nursery, Romsey Abbey School and Cupernham School all wrote cards, with Lillian receiving more than 103 for her birthday.