May's hat-trick to celebrate her 100 (From Lancashire Telegraph)

May's hat-trick to celebrate her 100

3:29pm Friday 4th May 2001 in

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MAY Wootton proved one is never too old to enjoy a good party and had three 100th birthday bashes to make her point.

The great-great grandmother from Eltham was even allowed a whole pint of her favourite tipple, Guinness, to celebrate the centenary.

She welcomed guests, including Greenwich MP Nick Raynsford and Greenwich Mayor Jagir Sekhon, to her first party at Boyle House day centre, in Charlton.

Singing, joke-telling and a This is Your Life-style look at Mrs Wootton's century were organised at the day centre she attends twice a week.

Then she enjoyed a second dose of celebrations with another party thrown by five generations of family at the Falconwood Community Centre.

And it did not stop there.

The third helping which also produced her third birthday cake was arranged at the Age Exchange Reminiscence Centre, in Blackheath.

Mrs Wootton was born three months into the reign of Edward VII.

Horse-drawn trams were just being phased out in favour of electric versions.

Britain's 32.5m population was said to be growing at a faster rate than ever before.

Mrs Wootton has one surviving daughter, Pat Gregory, with whom she now lives in Earlshall Road, Eltham.

Her other daughter, Joyce, died in 1987.

Mrs Wootton has three grandchildren, four great-grandchildren and a great, great-granddaughter.

Born in Cronin Road, Peckham, her first job was as a book binder at Tower Bridge.

During the First World War she handed out sandwiches and tea at Victoria Station to the troops embarking for France.

When the Second World War arrived, she was landlady of the Camden Arms, in Peckham, and later, with her husband Alfred, ran the South Norwood Liberal Club.

Before Alfred's death in 1966, they opened a sweet shop at Thornton Heath which Mrs Wootton ran until her retirement in 1970.