A RETIRED teacher celebrated her 105th birthday with a party that satisfied her sweet tooth.

The First World War was less than a year old when Edna Clifford was born in 1915, but the larger-than-life character was on top form yesterday for her latest milestone.

Staff at Fairfield Residential Home in North Oxford organised a surprise party, themed around Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

The idea was a nod to Mrs Clifford's love of chocolate and sweets and the great-grandmother enjoyed some of her favourite treats as she opened a birthday card from the Queen.

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She said: "My family all lived to a decent age.

"I feel very lucky."

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Mrs Clifford was born in Chester but grew up in Nottingham, while her earliest memory is playing in the street when she was aged just nine.

She moved to Henley with her husband Raymond Parmenter in 1947, before arriving in Whitchurch-on-Thames three years later.

After her husband died aged 63 in 1963, Mrs Clifford moved to Bath and then to Oxford in 2007.

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Her son, Anthony, passed away several years ago, but she has two other children, John and Alexandra, and four great-grandchildren.

The Oxford resident shares her birthday with Fairfield team leader Lillian Cloake, who turned 64 yesterday.

Ms Cloake said: "She's the biggest part of life here. We all adore her.

"During lockdown we were trying to keep everyone's spirits up and she was leading a conga."