SHE was born the year the First World War broke out and bore her only child during the second.

Rena Gill has endured tough times during her 102 years, but these days she just likes to relax in her armchair with a good audiobook.

The great-grandmother-of-three celebrated her birthday on Thursday alongside friends and family at her sheltered accommodation in Abingdon, where staff treated her to cake and cards.

She said: "It was so lovely, people were so complimentary and were making such a fuss. Everyone was so kind."

Mrs Gill was born in North Wales and came to Marcham in the 1980s to be closer to her son Robin Gill, before moving to a flat at Old Station House care home almost a decade ago.

Retired professor Mr Gill, who lives in Headington, said: "It was lovely, they put on a little soiree for her with a birthday cake and sang her a wonderful little song."

Widow Mrs Gill lived a large chunk of her life in London after securing a bank job in the city when she was just 19, and made many friends after joining a church in Muswell Hill.

It was there that she met her future husband Stanley Cooper Gill.

Her son said: "They met across a crowded room and she thought he looked nice. They had a very happy life."

The couple had Mr Gill in 1944 but were evacuated back to North Wales almost immediately after his birth, as London bore the brunt of German bombings.

The family returned when it was safe but tragedy struck in 1967 when Mr Gill fell over on icy pavement and suffered a fatal blood clot.

Mrs Gill lived through the loss and continued to embrace her passion of reading and poetry-writing, dedicating one especially to Marcham when she moved to the village.

Since then she has lost the majority of her sight and relies on talking and CDs to learn new stories.

Mr Gill said: "I go to the library in Abingdon every week to replenish them, she is utterly dependant on it."

She was serenaded on her birthday by care home activities coordinator Jeff Denton who sang about her life so far.

He said: said: "Rena is very with it, she's good at crosswords and word games. She is very elegant and has a great sense of humour. She's always very well-dressed; very regal.

"She's very proud of her heritage and can recite the Welsh national anthem."

Two years ago the Oxford Mail met Mrs Gill on her centenary, where she enjoyed a visit from a male voice choir.