Meet the Joneses '“ 10 siblings who are all OAPs

The Joneses have 10 pensioners in the one family – which they believe is almost certainly a South Yorkshire record, if not a British one.

They congregated for an early celebration of Shirley Platts’ 60th birthday.

Her big day was yesterday but they got together earlier because Shirley is now in the Dominican Republic on holiday.

The siblings – who have a combined age of more than 600 – love a party, and get together whenever possible.

They are, from youngest to oldest, Shirley Platts, Maggie Starkes, Jenna Hewitt, Jenny Batty, Peter Jones, Eve Webster, Linda Fletcher, Bob Jones, Eileen Underwood and Mavis Norrie.

Eileen lives in Plymouth – which means get-togethers featuring all 10 are rare events – while the rest live in Sheffield and surrounding areas.

Mavis will turn 80 in April, and no doubt there will be another party to celebrate.

There are always plenty of people around to celebrate. Maggie has 106 extended family. That’s just her nieces and nephews, and that number is growing all the time.

“There’s four more due this year,” she said.

“There’s always somebody who’s pregnant.”

There are some good genes in the Jones family, who have had, according to Maggie, a fantastic run of health.

“We’re never ill,” said Maggie, who lives on Handsworth Road.

If mother Eileen was still alive, it would be another big milestone. She would have been 100.

She died 11 years ago, while their father Tom has been gone for much longer.

“He’s been dead about 40 years,” Maggie said.

Although they were ‘quite poor’ during their formative years, the family is rich in other aspects of their lives.

“We had no money, but we’re millionaires when it comes to loving,” Maggie said.

The birthday bash was at the Anglers Rest on Richmond Park Road, which is run by a relative of the siblings.

Maggie is adamant that the Joneses are in a class of their own in terms of numbers with pensioner status.

“There wouldn’t be too many families in Sheffield with 10 pensioners,” she said.