A PAIR of spritely centenarians are showing the world age is just a number...by continuing to

explore their love for driving, parties, whiskey and red wine.

Nicknamed Supergran by her loving family, great-great-grandmother Dorothy Heron celebrated the milestone birthday with not one, but two parties.

At each she was surrounded by members from the five generations of her family - who call her Supergran.

Daughter Pauline Roles said: “Sadly a month before her birthday she was a bit ill so she hasn’t been since.

“But she still managed to have two birthday parties and she hopes she’ll be back getting the bus soon.”

Dorothy was born in 1919 in Bolton, Lancashire. The second youngest of 13 children, after leaving education she worked in the card room of a textile mill.

It was in the north-west she met husband, Stanley, and the couple went on to have two children - Pauline and Alan.

She relocated to Colchester with her daughter in 1982.

Her family has swelled and she now has 27 grandchildren of various generations, the youngest who is nine months old.

Pauline said: “She loves having such a huge family and tells everybody all about them whenever she can.

“Over her birthday week she has seen almost all of them for various celebrations.”

Pauline said: “She tells everybody the secret to her health is Manuka honey in the morning and a glass of red wine in the evening.”

Bill O’Brien, of Frating, has also astounded neighbours and loved ones with his active lifestyle and in particular his love of driving. Originally from Glasgow, he has become a much-loved member of the village community where he has lived for 50 years and neighbours organised a surprise party for his 100th birthday. Neighbour Nicole Haywood said: “A few of his friends from the village were invited, too. We just made a few sandwiches and I made him a cake.

“He has a daughter but she lives in Kent and she came down a few weeks ago to see him. We didn’t want him to celebrate on his own.”

Bill used to be in the Merchant Navy and worked in the shipbuilding industry in his early days.Nicole said: “He lives on whiskey, I think if you asked him he would say that’s the key to longevity. He still drives, he goes out in the car pretty much every day and will drive to Morrisons in Clacton to do his shopping.”