Monica to celebrate her 105th birthday with a chippy tea

Monica Hesketh has lived through two world wars, worked from the age of 14 and raised generations of her family in Preston.

Now, she's preparing to celebrate her 105th birthday with a fish and chips surrounded by loved ones.

And that puts her in an exclusive club.

There are an estimated 560 people aged 105 or older in England and Wales, with total UK centenarians (aged 100 and over) numbered at 16,600.

While many would expect a lavish celebration for such a remarkable birthday, Monica has kept things characteristically simple.

Her granddaughter, Nicola Fry, said: "She doesn't want a fuss. She just wants fish and chips with the family."

Believed by her family to be one of Preston's oldest residents still living at home with support, Monica has spent her entire life in the city.

She started work at just 14 years old at Horrockses Mill before taking on a variety of jobs across Preston, including working at the railway station, clipping tickets on buses and later becoming a forewoman at Dorman Smith Electrical on Blackpool Road.

According to Nicola, it was never the just job itself that Monica loved most, but the people she met.

"She always said her favourite jobs were on the railway and the buses because she loved being outside and speaking to people," she said. "She had a lot of fun."

Monica's life has also been shaped by resilience. Widowed at the age of 45, she remained in the family home while raising her two children and has since become grandma to eight and great-grandmother to four, many of whom still live and work in Preston.

That determination and strong-willed attitude was tested again in December 2024 when she fell while feeding the birds in her garden. After spending 17 weeks in Royal Preston Hospital, her family feared they were about to lose her.

Instead, Monica made one thing clear: she wanted to return home.

"She told us there was no way, 'over my dead body', she was going into a care home," Nicola said. "She was determined to get back to her own house, and so that's what we made happen."

Now supported by carers and relatives, Monica still enjoys watching Wimbledon every summer and following rugby from her armchair.

Later this month, after receiving a birthday card from Queen Elizabeth II on her 100th birthday, she is expected to receive another from King Charles III.

For Nicola, the milestone is about far more than her grandmother's age.

"It's an inspirational story," she said. "We know she's not going to be here forever, but she's doing so amazingly well. Everybody in the community loves her to bits."

She added: "She's a proper Preston woman."

Monica will mark the milestone at The Flower Bowl in Garstang, surrounded by her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.