Sheffield centenarian reveals secret to a long and happy life on date of her 104th birthday

That is the secret to a long and happy life according to Gladys Little - or Kitty as she prefers to be known - who has just celebrated her 104th birthday at her Sheffield care home.

Sheffield born and bred, Kitty was born in Orchard Terrace at Woodhouse in 1916 and worked in the steelworks during the war, welding parts for Lancaster Bombers and Spitfire planes.

She married Alf in 1944, and was married for 49 years before he sadly died, with Kitty supposedly mad at him for missing their 50th wedding anniversary.

The devoted couple had three children, Anne, Richard and Keith, as well as five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Her family said she was always full of life and enjoyed dancing and playing tennis with Alf at Woodhouse tennis courts.

She always liked visiting the seaside, including towns like Bridlington and Scarborough, and also holidayed regularly in Wales and Scotland.

Kitty enjoys fruit pastilles, usually has one or two packets of cheese and onion crisps a day and has always stood by the saying ‘there is no such word as can’t’, her family added.

To celebrate her big day, Beechy Knoll Care Home in Richmond threw her a birthday party, with home manager Marina Glaves saying she had been ‘smiling all day’.

She said: “Today Kitty had a lovely breakfast and several cups of tea, before opening her cards and presents with support from the staff.

“She then had a roast chicken lunch followed by fruit crumble and custard and a little nap.

“Her two sons and daughter-in-law visited with several of her grandchildren before she had a get together with other residents in the conservatory with a singer - everyone really enjoyed singing along.

“She is currently in the dining room with all of her friends having a party with a specially made cake and a buffet tea.”

Earlier this week Beechy Knoll was praised for how well it had looked after its residents during the coronavirus lockdown, with no one at the home testing positive for the deadly disease so far.

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