Birthday celebrations as Elsie reaches 100
Champagne corks popped and there were balloons and cake as the Mayor of Market Drayton Mark Whittle delivered flowers to Elsie "Ellie" Sutton to celebrate her 100th birthday.
Among the many cards marking her special day was one signed by King Charles III and the Queen Consort.
There was lots of merriment as neighbours, friends and family gathered for the celebrations.
Ellie, as she is known to her family and friends, said that she believed the secret to a long and happy life was "lying about your age so that the brain thinks you are younger".
"This makes me feel about 70," she said.
Ellie also admits to "enjoying a glass of sherry every night and chocolate".
Still living independently, she remembers the early days when she ran a market stall in Sandbach and later an oatcake shop in Newcastle-under-Lyme.
She married Leslie Sutton, an engineer who during the war worked in a factory making parts for Spitfires, on March 6, 1942 in Porthill, Staffordshire.
They had met while out walking.
The couple went on to have two daughters, Christine and Jennifer, who were both born on December 9 but five years apart.
Their extended family now includes six grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren are expected to arrive shortly.
Ellie used to arrange flowers in the Roman Catholic Church she attended and was keen on knitting, crochet and baking, often making wedding and party cakes for family and friends.
On retirement the couple moved to Torbay in Devon.
Sadly, Leslie died eight years ago when he was 95-years-old and Ellie relocated to Market Drayton four years ago when she was 96.
She thanked the mayor for the flowers and proudly showed him the many cards she had received before inviting him to join in the celebrations.
