THOUSANDS of people celebrated the Queen Mother's 100th birthday but one former local lad had an extra special reason to raise a glass of his own.

Mr George Rostron had the honour of meeting her when she visited the borough for the second time in 1945.

At the age of seven he was hand-picked to represent the schoolchildren of Ramsbottom. He was chosen out of hundreds to because he was born on Coronation Day.

Said Mr Rostron: "I remember the meeting vividly. It really was an honour and a privilege to be chosen to meet the royal couple," said Mr Rostron who now lives in Letchworth. His late mother Mary wanted to call him Roy but the nurses at Edenfield hospital insisted he be named George after the King.

Mr Rostron laughed: "So although I was called George I am know as Roy!"

He added: "I was living in the Hazelhurst area of Ramsbottom at the time.

"The two months before she was due to visit all I remember doing was practising to bow. I used to bow in front of my class at Hazelhurst Primary School and then in front of the whole school! When the time came I had bowed so much I don't remember being nervous."

On the big day, Mr Rostron was seventh in line to meet the two visiting royals.

"The whole town must have come out to see the King and Queen. Her visit to Ramsbottom was part of her tour of six cotton towns and the streets were lined with people.

"I was standing in front of the Grant Arms Hotel in the cobbled Market Square. Although the King did not say anything, the Queen spoke to me for what seemed quite a long time, but really was only a couple of minutes. She asked me how old I was and which school I went to and general things about me," recalled Mr Rostron.

"My mother was so proud. She always kept the colour photograph of me meeting the Queen on show in a frame.