A woman celebrated a birthday milestone surrounded by her family at a garden party.

Patricia Dove was born in London on September 23, 1916, and celebrated turning 100 surrounded by her family and friends at her care home.

After marrying and having a family Miss Dove moved to a home in Rucklers Lane, Kings Langley, where she lived up until three years ago.

Now she lives in a care home in Watford after being diagnosed with dementia.

Her daughter Sheila Wiles, 67, said: “I really do not know how she has done it. She never really had many illnesses. She was just a very strong woman.

“She has dementia now but she enjoyed the party.

“The staff at her care home allowed us to us the garden for the party and we had a big gazeebo and the sun was shining.

“It was a lovely day. Two of her daughters now live up in Cumbria but they all came down with their own family.”

Mrs Dove worked as a cleaner in Hemel Hempstead Hospital for many years and in her older years she liked watched crime programmes such as Miss Marple and she read a great deal.

Mrs Wiles said: “It was nice for our family to celebrate her birthday with her.

“Some of us have not seen each other for about 40 years. Even though she could not understand what was going on the whole family did not want her birthday to go uncelebrated.”

Mrs Dove celebrated her birthday in the same week it was announed that the number of congratulatory messages sent by the Queen to people reaching their 100th birthday has risen by up to a half over the past decade.