THE oldest Abbeyfield resident in Wellington has celebrated her 102nd birthday.

Wendy Bird, who lives in Ivy House at Corams Lane, is a well-known figure in our town.

She marked her landmark birthday yesterday (Monday, March 14).

Born and raised in Cheltenham, Mrs Bird served in the Land Army in the Second World War, during which her first husband, Donald McIntosh, was killed.

After the war, she married John Bird in 1948 and together they ran a grocer's shop in Worcester for 18 years before moving to Wellington in 1968 as landlord and landlady of the Sanford Arms in South Street.

They ran the pub for seven years before moving to take over the bar at Wellington Sports Centre - Mr Bird running it first and then Mrs Bird after her husband took up a job with the former Taunton Deane Council.

However, tragedy struck again in 1977 when Mr Bird was one of three Wellington Bowling Club officials killed in a road accident near Ilminster.

After this, Mrs Bird joined Somerset County Cricket Club as membership secretary for three years and then went back behind the counter, running bars on the ground for the next 15 years and eventually retiring when she was 72.

On her 100th birthday two years ago, England legend Sir Ian Botham (now Lord Botham) sent her a personally-signed card along with a bottle of Chardonnay, produced by the wine company he now runs.

Mrs Bird has six children - Sandra (who still lives in Cheltenham), Bruce (Jersey), Terry (California), Madeleine and Ken (both Wellington) and Russell (Tiverton) - along with grandchildren and great-grandchildren.