Celebrations have been underway at Crandon Springs care home in Wells as one of its residents marks her incredible 103rd birthday.

Emma Pyecroft was joined by staff, relatives, friends and other residents as she marked the occasion by enjoying the company of plenty of well-wishers, on what turned out to be a beautifully sunny day. A champagne reception was held at the home with Emma and her guests enjoying an extra special birthday cake prepared by the home’s head chef Stuart Constable.

Remarkably, this was Emma’s fourth birthday at the home, having enjoyed her 100th, 101st, 102nd and now her 103rd milestone at Crandon Springs and so she received dozens of cards from fellow residents, stretching from Falmouth up to Bristol.

Emma has lived an incredible life, with most of it being spent in the theatre where she was a highly accomplished ballet dancer. However, when she was 18, she bravely decided to “do her bit for the country” and worked as an ambulance driver for the ARP Ambulance Brigade in Sheffield during The Blitz. So heroic are her stories during such frightful times, that they have been recalled in national press and hardback publications, as well as being on display at the National Emergency Services Museum in Sheffield.

Emma spent most of her life doing theatre shows. ( )

Never one to make a fuss, Emma said that she was “quite taken aback” by the amount of cards and flowers received from well-wishers, but said that she “had had a wonderful day with the family.”

Among those relatives attending was Emma’s daughter Jenny who brought some marvellous photos of Emma in her theatre days to share with guests. Speaking about her mother’s milestone birthday, Jenny said: “Emma is an incredible mum, grandmother and now great-grandmother first and foremost, but an extraordinary woman who has lived a quite remarkable life and we are so very proud of her and so pleased to be able to spend this very special with her.”

Alexandria Bowman, general manager of Crandon Springs, said: “It’s such an honour to be celebrating another birthday with Emma, she is such an inspiration to us all here and is very popular amongst both residents and staff alike. She is so engaging and has so many fascinating stories to tell, above all though she is so proud of her family, often reading poetry written by her great-granddaughter to other residents in the Poetry Club.”