A family have celebrated the 105th birthday of a 'caring and headstrong' great-grandmother.
Florence Allen, who was born on February 12, 1917 in Liverpool, celebrated her birthday with her daughter, two grandchildren and four great-grandchildren at Afton Lodge Care Home in Bootle, where she has lived since she was 101.
Florence, who lived in Toxteth before moving to Aintree with husband George, had one child Pat, 81, was born in 1941.
READ MORE: When is the best time to take vitamin D - in the morning or at night?
Pat spoke spoke to the ECHO on Friday (February 11) about her mother's life.
She said: "It's amazing. I turned 81 on Wednesday and now she turns 105.
"We’re going in to see her and they’ve very kindly said that my two daughters and my grandchildren can come in as well.
"They’re going to put us in the dining room and we'll have a celebration. That’ll be lovely because she hasn’t seen the grandchildren for a couple of years.
"It’s been awkward going to see her in the care home because of covid. It’s been awful. I haven’t been in her bedroom in the home for two years, but the staff there are absolutely marvellous."
Before moving into the care home, Florence had lived independently up to the age of 101, following the death of her husband George.
Pat told the ECHO that her mother lived in Toxteth before meeting George. She then moved to Aintree and worked at Aintree Davenhill School.
She said: "She got a job in Aintree Davenhill school as what they’d call ‘lunchtime supervisors' now. She was also the school secretary for about 30 years. "
Away from work, Florence and George were keen cyclists and undertook a mammoth journey from Liverpool to Land's End on a tandem.
Pat said: " When she was courting my dad, they had a tandem bike and they went all the way from Liverpool down to Land’s End, staying in B&Bs on the way.
"My dad always said that he was peddling and she sat with her legs out so she didn’t have to peddle."
George was stationed in Egypt during the Second World War, meaning that Pat and Florence spent the war together.
76 years on from the end of WWII, the two are still spending time together, another milestone birthday for Florence.
About her mother now, Pat says: "Her hearing’s bad and her eyesight’s bad but she’s still sharp."
Not bad at all after 105 years.
Receive newsletters with the latest news, sport and what's on updates from the Liverpool ECHO by signing up here
