ONE of the country’s oldest residents celebrated her 107th birthday with a singsong on Tuesday – and her carers say she is well on her way to become a supercentenarian.

Ann “Annie” Cowell, who was born on August 4, 1908 and was still living in her own home when she was 100, puts her long life down to hard work, plenty of dancing in her younger years and her daily tipple of port and lemon.

The sprightly great-great grandmother is now a resident of the St Mary’s Nursing Home in the centre of Chester-le-Street, County Durham.

The bunting was put out today and staff and fellow residents joined in the celebrations, along with her younger brother Tom, 91 and son Brian, 76.

Jigging from side to side in her chair, Mrs Cowell said: “I loved dancing. I used to go dancing all over the region. I did all kinds . . . ballroom dancing, quick step. I was very, very good.”

Although her husband did not dance she won numerous ballroom competitions at the old Empire in Chester-le-Street with dance partner Peter Knox.

Mrs Cowell, was born and brought up in the Fatfield area of what is now Washington, a few miles from Chester-le-Street.

One of her neighbours in Fatfield was the famous North-East comedian Bobby Thompson whose Little Waster routine only earned him recognition outside the region in his last years.

Her parents happened to bump into him on a day out to the seaside after he achieved fame. He pushed ten shilling note into her father’s top pocket, which he never spent, but had framed.

After her marriage to miner Matthew Cowell, the couple lived in the Canada area of Chester-le-Street, before moving to the then newly-built South Pelaw estate.

She had several jobs over the years, including farm worker, munitions worker at Birtley during the Second World War, and went to work at the toffee factory worker at the Dainty Dinah factory, in Chester-le-Street.

She also worked as an usher in a cinema and was still working as a cleaner at the age of 70.

Senior care Gillian Easton said: “Annie is as bright as a button. She likes too have her hair done and likes her singalongs, when she plays the tambourine. Believe you me she’ll live for a very long time yet.”

Mrs Cowell has two children, six grandchildren and several great and great-great grandchildren.