GREAT, great-grandmother Doris Hyde will today celebrate 105 years of living in Abingdon.

Born in Thames Street on June 16, 1910, Mrs Hyde is now believed to be Abingdon’s oldest living resident.

Today she will celebrate her 105th birthday with family and friends at Old Station House care home, tucking into some cake and she will even get a personal, private concert from Abingdon Ladies’ Choir.

She said she was “proud” to have always lived in Abingdon.

She added: “I am extremely happy to be 105 and I’m looking forward to seeing the mayor at my party.”

Mrs Hyde took her first job aged 14 as a van driver, delivering laundry, fruit and vegetables.

Most of her life she worked as an auxiliary nurse at hospitals including the John Radcliffe, and helped look after premature babies.

With her husband Jack, she had five children – Jack, Pamela, Barrie, Harvey and Christine, but only Christine is still alive.

Mr Hyde died in 1962 at the age of 56, but Mrs Hyde is now a grandmother of 13, great-grandmother of 14 and great-great-grandmother of six.

She retired at 73 and lived independently in her home in Boxhill Walk until she moved to the care home in 2003.

When asked the secret to her grand age she said: “I was the eldest of 11 which meant there was always something going on which kept me active and interested.”

Mrs Hyde is one of the oldest residents of Oxfordshire. In March Doris Field, who lives in Witney, wanted to know if anybody was older than her. She turned 105 in November last year.

Her family contacted the Oxford Mail after reading about Major Rupert Crowdy, who turned 105 on March 12.