“TO KEEP on breathing” is the secret to a long life, according to Evelyn Davis who celebrated her one hundredth birthday on Saturday.

Surrounded by her family of four grandchildren, 12 greatgrandchildren and two greatgreat-grandchildren, the mumof-one celebrated her birthday with a party at the Ellendune Centre in Wroughton.

“It’s wonderful,” she said, “I’ll never be 100 again. I’ve really enjoyed it.

“It’s wonderful receiving a card from the Queen, it’s very special.

“I promised the great-grandchildren I would live to be 100 and I’ve kept my promise.”

Born in Broad Hinton, Evelyn, who is also known as “Joyce”, moved to Wroughton when she was 15.

She worked at Garrard’s in Swindon, where she joined the ladies cricket team before she married her late husband, Ronald on September 5, 1936.

Ronald worked as a stable hand before joining the London Fire Brigade in 1938.

“I’ve lived through two world wars,” said Evelyn, who was one of 11 children. “I can’t remember much of the first obviously but I can remember some of the second.

“We lived about 12 miles out of central London and I could read a newspaper in the garden from the lights of the bombs.

“The scariest moment was just before my son was born and the warning siren went off.

“I had talked about what I would do if I heard the siren go off and said I would probably get under the bed, and of course I tried but I couldn’t fit under it.

“But on this occasion, I don’t know how but I managed to get under.

“One minute I was there and then my husband turned round and didn’t know where I had gone.

“He had to lift the bed off me so I could get out.”

After the war, the couple returned to Wroughton where Ronald joined the Swindon fire service and Evelyn worked in a shoe-shop and then in a self-service job until she retired at the age of 62.

“I’ve always worked,” she said.

“Right up until I retired when I was 62.

“Then I did some fundraising work with the Scouts.”