ONE of the country’s oldest residents celebrated her 106th birthday with a singsong.

Ann “Annie” Cowell was born on August 4, 1908 and was still living in her own home when she was 100.

Now she is a resident of the St Mary’s Nursing Home in the centre of Chester-le-Street, County Durham.

The bunting was out today (Monday, August 4) as staff and fellow residents joined in the celebrations with Mrs Cowell and her family.

Mrs Cowell was a keen dancer in her younger days and still enjoys a good singalong.

So an entertainer with repertoire of old songs was brought in to get the residents singing.

Mrs Cowell, who says she still likes to enjoy life, 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.

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 toffee factory worker at the Dainty Dinah factory, in Chester-le-Street. She was still working as a cleaner at the age of 70.

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