CENTENARIAN Annie Schofield had a 100th birthday to remember, thanks Oldham's mayor, the town's Scottish pipers and a town crier.

Annie - known affectionately as "Nan" by relatives and friends - was the centre of attention near her Uppermill home on Thursday (July 23), after mayor Cllr Ginny Alexander pulled out all the stops to mark the big event.

Two members of Oldham Scottish pipe band serenaded her and Shaw and Royton town crier Marcus Emms bellowed out birthday wishes across Uppermill village centre as onlookers watched.

Annie, a former teacher at Uppermill Secondary School, put her longevity down to the occasional gin and tonic and stopping smoking when she was 50.

"I love a nice G & T," she said, as she clutched hers birthday card from the Queen and mingled with family members and wellwishers in the village.

Annie also stopped working as a teacher after surviving a serious brain haemorrhage.

She attributes her miraculous recovery thereafter to the clean Saddleworth air and her amazing family - three daughters, six grandchildren and nine great grandchildren.

Meanwhile, Cllr Alexander, who has pledged to visit all townsfolk celebrating special birthdays and anniversaries in her second year of office, told The Oldham Times: "Annie, or Nan as she is known, is fantastic. She has had and still has a wonderful life. She is an example to us all.

"I made my pledge to help people celebrate milestone events because of throughout most of the lockdown, people's celebrations have been scuppered.

"Families can't go out and about to celebrate their big events, and I thought, how awful it was.

"I also decided to send everyone a personalised mayor's letter and a bouquet of flowers."