A well-known Woodstock character has put reaching his 100th birthday down to a daily glass of sherry and a good bet on the horses.

Fred Edwards, who has lived in Woodstock for 75 years, celebrated his century last Friday surrounded by more than 60 family and friends at Weston Manor, Weston-on-the- Green.

And true to form Mr Edwards, a well-known and popular member of the St Mary Magdalene Church congregation, rewarded his guests with an entertaining birthday speech and a joke.

Mr Edwards was born in November 1911 in Huntley, Gloucestershire.

The former agricultural salesman moved to Woodstock in 1936 to sell animal medicines around the county for the company Pettifer.

He married his wife Doris Shilham, from Cirencester, in 1942 after they met through their fathers at a cattle market. Mr Edwards father was a farmer, and his wife’s father was a butcher.

Despite stepping back from his agricultural job long after retirement age, Mr Edwards only gave up work when he was 85, after a further 15 years working at Young’s Garage, in Woodstock.

Mr Edwards, a good friend of local farmer and racehorse owner Bernard Ancil, who lived and is buried in Weston-on-the-Green, now has a keen love of horse racing.

His wife passed away in 1979, but Mr Edwards says he likes to remember her with a line from one of his favourite songs by Vera Lynn, We’ll Meet Again.

He said: “We’ll meet again, I don’t know where, don’t know when. But I know we’ll meet again, some sunny day.”

He added: “I’d put my age down to a glass of sherry, good balanced rations, and not smoking.

“I feel very proud to be 100, I’m not bragging but I’m not in bad health and I’ve had a nice life.”