Wigan woman celebrates centenary birthday and tells her cheeky secret to a long life

To mark the milestone, Gladys Guest, who still lives at her home in Hunter Road Marsh Green, confided that her longevity is down to a daily tot of brandy!

Gladys was born in Whelley at home and then after a few years her family moved to the Beech Hill area where she attended Gidlow school.

Her father drove lorries for Almonds Brewery and her mother took care of the work around the home and was also a very good baker and dressmaker.

Gladys was one of four children, having two brothers and a sister.

The family enjoyed plenty of holidays to Blackpool where they would stay in a guest house and take their own food with them for the landlady to cook.

Gladys started work for Anderton’s sewing factory and then, during the war, went to work in Blackpool at the munitions factory working on the Wellington bombs.

She said: “it was one of the best times of my life.”

She met her late husband, Tommy, in her late twenties and had two daughters, Sheila and Jean, and now has two grandsons, one granddaughter and one great granddaughter with another one due soon.

Her neighbour and friend Mandy Hewitt said: “Gladys has been my neighbour for around 37 years and still walks to the local shop where I work, she’s a diamond.

"She told me her secret to a long long life is down to a tot of brandy in her morning tea.”