A pair of twins have celebrated their 104th birthday – and say the secret to their long and happy lives is down to a “drop of brandy” before bed and good food.
Thought to be Britain’s oldest twins, Thelma Barratt and Elma Harris marked the special milestone at Pear Tree House Care Home, in Wesham, Lancashire.
“I can’t believe that. I keep saying ‘I’m sure you’re kidding me'”, Thelma said.
Elma added: “We don’t act our age. We hope to keep young.”
Born in Cheadle Heath in Stockport on 3 August 1919, Thelma and Elma attended Alexandra Park Primary School.
The sisters, who had three other siblings, took jobs as packers and labellers of Smiths crisps at the age of 14 after enquiring about vacancies on the way home from school.
“We earned eight bob a week, then,” Thelma said. “It wasn’t much but it kept us going.”
The sisters married at the age of 21 and gave up work at the crisp factory.
Elma married Bill Hewitt, who was a joiner, and Thelma married Joseph Barratt, who was a hatter, but due to the war they were apart form each other for almost four years.
“Planes were flying over head,” Elma describes. “You could see at the bottom of our street, you could see the bombs dropping over Manchester.”
Thelma said: “We use to stand at the bottom of the bed and watch, but our mum was as hard as nails. She would go to bed and forget about it [the bombs].”
During the Second World War, Elma was called up to work in the Fairey Aviation factory, in Heaton Chapel, making ammunition for soldiers.
The twins have two children and more than 20 grandchildren and great-grandchildren between them.
Thelma puts her longevity down to good food, whilst Elma says “a drop of brandy” and lemonade before bed is the reason she still around.
