Nan shares secret to a long life as she turns 105
A great-gran from Norris Green has spilled the secret to a long life as she celebrated her 105th birthday today. Grace O'Connell from Norris Green was born on January 24 1920.
The grandmother of eight and great grandmother of nine marked the occasion with family in the care home she lives in in West Derby. The ECHO spoke to Grace and her family on the day of her 105th birthday to hear her memories of growing up in Liverpool and the secrets of living for over a century.
Grace grew up in poverty in the 1920s and 1930s in Kensington, before spending some time away from the city during the Second World War. During the war she spent time in Kent with family where she worked on the railways.
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When she returned to Liverpool, Grace got a job at the Sayers factory in Norris Green which opened in the 1930s. She also worked as a shop assistant in the 1950s in Kensington and has been retired since the 1970s.
Grace met her husband Jim O'Connell at the Silver Blades Ice Rink in Kensington in 1943. Jim worked as a lorry driver on troop transports in the Scottish Cameronian regiment in the British Army, which was stationed in Huyton at the time.
Her husband Jim passed away in 1996 aged 79 and Grace later moved to Warrington where she lived for a decade before later returning to Liverpool where she settled in Norris Green.
To celebrate her birthday, Grace held a party in her accommodation in West Derby where she was surrounded by family and care home staff.
Speaking to the ECHO on her birthday, Grace said "just telling the truth" was the secret to a long and healthy life. When asked what it's like to be 105, she replied, "oh, awful!" with a mischievous smile. "And I don't want to be 106," she added.
Grace's son, Graham O'Connell, 75, from Walton, said that Grace never thought she would reach 100, never mind 105. He told the ECHO: "It's a fantastic day, but it's also a day mum didn't think she'd ever reach. Even at 100, she didn't think she'd reach that."
Graham said Grace has "maintained her independence and her love of life". He continued: ""She's very independent and very stubborn; extremely stubborn! But she's adapted to all the changes. She's adapted to look after herself and we're only round to make sure she doesn't fall over!"
Graham said another key to his mum's long life is having "proper food". He said: "We were very lucky because mum and dad looked after us in a very good way. We always had proper meals. Dad had an allotment so we always had fresh veg. We had chickens in the back of the house so we always had chicken and eggs.
"It's something that's stood well for all this time I think because we've passed it onto our children and the grandchildren, and I think it shows. I think a lot of it comes down to having proper food, making your own meals and things like that. It's far superior to what families cope with today.
"Mum's been a fantastic inspiration to us all in her ability to just keep going and get on with life."