Margaret Billington, 100, has eaten two tins of prunes every week of her life and she insists on sprinkling the oval-shaped fruits over her cereal every morning.

The revelation was made by the great great-grandmother's 73-year-old daughter Enid Houghton, from Grimsargh, after the birthday girl celebrated reaching the milestone at her home in Longridge, where she was joined by the town's mayor and mayoress Rupert and Katherine Swarbrick.

Mrs Houghton said of her mother: "I'm very blessed to have her.
"The vicar asked how she has lived so long – it could be as she likes to eat prunes for her breakfast every morning and she used to be keen on dancing.

"She goes through a couple of cans of prunes a week."

The 100-year-old, who also attended a special family gathering celebration at Ferrari's Country House Hotel and Restaurant, Longridge, where 40 family members showed up including her only surviving daughter and great-great grandchildren.

Mrs Billington was born in Flixton, Greater Manchester, where her father was a village policeman.

Her parents moved to the Fylde when she was 10 where she later went on to marry her husband Edward and brought up two daughters in St Michael's-on-Wyre.

Apart from working on a farm, she was heavily involved with the Mothers' Union from 1935 up until 2000 and was also the St Michael's parish Women's Institute secretary.

Her husband died in 1978 and she has been living in Longridge to be close to Mrs Houghton for the past 10 years.

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