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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
National
Olive Loveridge-Greene & Jessica Sansome

Family become one of the only in the UK to have six generations alive at the same time

A family had become one of the only in the UK to have six generations alive at the same time.

The family, stretches from oldest member Mary Marshall, 86, to their youngest member Nyla Ferguson, who is just a couple of weeks old.

Heading up the family is mother-of-eight Mary - who was born four years before the start of World War Two.

She boasts a whopping 90 grandchildren and b ecame Scotland's only great-great-great-grandma.

The women are all on the same side of the family and all gave birth aged 18 or younger - resulting in this super-sized happy family - and live in or around Edinburgh, Scotland.

And all except new mum Toni-Leigh work, or worked, as carers for the NHS.

So, Mary has eight children including eldest daughter Rose.

Rose Thorburn, 68, has four children including mum-of-three Chyrel Borthwick, 50.

Chyrel gave birth to mum-of-four Carrie Dow in 1986 and Carrie, 35, has four children, including new mum Toni-Leigh Aitken, 17.

And on 25 May 2021, Mary earned herself the title of Scotland's only great-great-great grandma with the birth of 6lb 14oz Nyla Ferguson.

Mary Marshall with her great great great granddaughter Nialia. (Katielee Arrowsmith SWNS)

"I'm a lucky woman to be honest with you," Mary said. "It's great to have such a big family. There's always someone there looking out for you. I'm incredibly happy."

Toni-Leigh, who gave birth to the newest member of the family last month, said: "When we found out I was pregnant we did make a joke about us breaking some sort of record.

"Then we started looking into it and it doesn't look like anyone else has our family set-up.

"It's a bit too early to see a resemblance to her great-great-great-grandma but it was love at first sight when they met!

"We live no longer than a 10-15minute drive away from one another so we see each other.

"We haven't had a big do with the entire family since the pandemic but when we do it's great fun!

"There's 90 grandchildren now with Nyla so it's always pretty loud!"

L-R Toni-Leigh, 17, Chyrel, 50, Mary Marshall, 86 with Two-week-old Nialia, Rose, 68 and Carrie, 35. (Katielee Arrowsmith SWNS)

And due to the size of her family, Mary, from Edinburgh, says she is forgiven for not buying each and every member a birthday and Christmas present as she'd spend "half the year doing so".

The family are believed to be the only family in Scotland with six generations alive at the same time.

According to Guinness World Records the most generations alive in a single family has been seven.

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