Britain’s oldest twins, aged 104, reveal their secret to ‘staying young’
A pair of 104-year-old twins – believed to be Britain’s oldest – have revealed their secret to ‘staying young’ and living a long life.
Elma Harris and Thelma Barratt, who were born half an hour apart in Stockport in August 1919, now live together in a care home in Lancashire.
In conversation with the BBC News the sisters shared their secret to longevity, saying a positive outlook, good food and a cheeky cognac and lemonade every night are key.
“If you feel young, you stay young,” Elma said. The twins added: ‘We look at each other and say, ‘Who would have thought we would get to this age?’ Thelma admitted, “We didn’t, but we’re still here.”
At the age of 14, the sisters started working as packers and labellers at Smiths Crisps after asking if there was work on the way home from school.
Elma Harris and Thelma Barratt, who were born half an hour apart in Stockport in August 1919, now live together in a care home in Lancashire
They were 19 when World War II broke out; Thelma continued to work at Smiths, but Elma was called up to work at the nearby Fairey Aviation factory making parts for the RAF.
Thelma said, “Well, the bombs fell on us at night.” Elma added: ‘Even though the air raids took place at night, we still had to go to work the next day. When it was over, we celebrated, there was a lot of dancing.”
They stopped working when they married at age 21, just three months apart. Elma married Bill Hewitt, a joiner and Thelma married Joseph Barratt, a milliner.
Thelma said: ‘He worked for the hat trade and if he was caught without a hat he was fined half a crown.
“When we were courting, I would often be thrown past an entrance because he had spotted them in the distance.”
Elma’s first husband Bill died shortly after the war, while Thelma’s husband Joe was captured in Italy and became a prisoner of war.
The sisters said they always enjoyed a fun night out and often went to nightclubs to dance.
The twins said they didn’t always get along as well as they do now, and that in their younger years they almost scratched each other’s eyes out.
At the age of 14, the sisters started working as packers and labellers at Smiths Crisps after asking if there was a job on the way home from school (Thelma, left, and Elma)
The twins were born half an hour apart in August 1919 in Stockport (Twins, with older brother Robert)
It comes after Britain’s twelfth oldest man turned 107 and revealed the breakfast that keeps him going every day.
Leonard Howes, born in 1916, served in World War II and saw five different monarchs in his lifetime.
Mr Howes has now received four cards from Buckingham Palace – one for his 100th, 105th birthday and each year thereafter.
Leonard, the oldest person from his hometown of Bristol, celebrated his 107th birthday with his entire family by his side.
Bristol City fan Len, as he is affectionately known by his family, left school at the age of 14 to train as a plumber.
Commenting on what has helped him live such a long life, his daughter-in-law, Carol Howes, said: “He has dedicated his long life to eating Shredded Wheat with whole milk and lots of sugar for as long as he can remember. .’