AN ex-munitions girl celebrated her 104th birthday surrounded by close friends and family.

Renee Glover, born on June 21, 1914, grew up in Frosterley and was in charge of ammunitions at the Royal Ordinance Factory in Newton Aycliffe, where the workers there were dubbed the Aycliffe Angels during the war.

She said: “There were no doctors or nurses or anything nearby. So if you needed to go somewhere you had to walk to Stanhope. There were a few men who had cars, so people would pay them to take them to hospital.”

A keen tennis player and tea-drinker, Mrs Glover shared her birthday with her daughter, two granddaughters, three great-grandchildren, three great-great grandchildren, her close friends and the carers at Wilton House, Darlington, where she now lives.

One of her granddaughters, Alison Hope said: “She has an amazing memory, and is always entertaining the other residents in the care home. She was very fit. She would play football with her great-grandchildren even at 86.”

Despite suffering from poor health earlier in the year, the 104-year-old had plenty of energy celebrating her big day.

Mrs Hope added: “The care home did a great job with her when she had two bad falls and brain bleeds earlier this year. They cared for her the whole time and if it wasn’t for them, she probably wouldn’t have made it. They are phenomenal.”