A PICKERING great-great-grandmother has celebrated her 103rd birthday.

Elsie Cosens, of Ashfield Road, in Pickering, was 103 on January 9.

Mrs Cosens originally comes from Sussex, and has lived in Handcross for much of her life, but moved to Pickering in 2000 with her husband Ted.

In Handcross Elsie was a member of the mothers' union and later the Women’s Institute, and in Pickering she was a member of the Pickering over-60s Tuesday lunch club, and attended their Christmas lunch this year.

She has three sons, Alan who lives in Burgess Hill in Sussex, Gerald in Amotherby and Ron in Pickering. She also has 12 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren, as well as five great-great-grandchildren, living in various parts of the country.

Her son Ron said: "She lives independently, has a daily visit from her family and continues to enjoy doing the crossword as well as watching The Chase on television. She celebrated her birthday with family, playing dominoes and cards."

Her secret to reaching the age of 103 is "great determination and a sense of independence".