FIVE generations of a Braintree family are celebrating a beloved member reaching the age of 100.

On Monday, Kathleen Jobson marked her milestone birthday.

And she shared the special day with her great-great-grandson Freddie Howe who was celebrating his first birthday.

Brought up by her mother after her father was killed fighting in the First World War, Kathleen has lived in Braintree and Bocking all of her life, and has spent 77 years at her current home in Church Lane.

The former Bocking Church Street Primary School pupil has seen the village grow over the years and saw the construction of the village hall in 1926 from her home across the road.

She took up a job at Courtaulds Factory in Bocking after leaving school and soon after met her husband Jack, who sadly passed away 23 years ago.

The passionate gardener could regularly be seen at St Marys Church in Bocking before eventually becoming housebound.

She now lives with son Melvyn who said: “We had a straight forward family life when we were younger but we were close.

“She has never been on an aeroplane in her life, when we went on family holidays every year we went all over the country especially to places like Devon.”

Kathleen has two children, three grandchildren, six great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren, with Freddie being the youngest.

Melvyn said: “She has regular visitors from all of her family and as a family we are very close.

“She is never without visitors, she has a lot of friends especially from the church and so she always has someone round to see her. She loves having people round her all the time.”