ONE of East Lancashire’s oldest residents has celebrated her 105th birthday with her family.

Mable Jones, a great-grandmother-of-three, was surrounded by her loved ones as they marked the special day.

The former weaver lived on her own until she was 98 and is currently living at Springfield Care Home in Blackburn.

Mable, who has two children and five grandchildren, was born and bred in the town and joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service as a cook, servicing during the Second World War.

During the war she met husband Robert who was a subcontractor in the kitchen and was called in for repairs.

It was love at first sight and the pair married in Llan Ffestiniog in North Wales in 1940.

Once peace had been declared, Mable became a housewife and started a family in the village.

They lived there until 1956 when they upped sticks and moved back to Blackburn after her husband got a new job in the town.

The family lived in Hancock Street but her husband died in 1961 due to issues relating to his diabetes.

Mable took a job as a weaver until she retired at the end of the 1960s.

A lover of dancing, Mable would visit many dance halls in Blackburn following her retirement and continued the pastime until she was 97.

Her son, Harry, 72, said: “She is an inspiration to the whole family.

“To get to 105 is absolutely amazing and everybody is really pleased.

“Since retirement she really took up dancing and anywhere that was holding an event she would be there, which is remarkable.”