A LIFELONG Blaenavon resident has celebrated her 103rd birthday.

Rachel Allsopp, known locally as Ivy, was thrown a special birthday party at The Arthur Jenkins Care Home in Blaenavon where she lives on Friday.

She was born in Blaenavon the same year that the Titanic made its maiden voyage and has lived there her whole life.

She worked in the office of the local Cooperative Society branch with her late husband Tom, who worked in the grocery department.

The couple had one week to arrange their wedding day on May 22 1941, and spent just one more week together before he went away for five years with The British Commandos to Burma during the Second World War.

He carried a photograph of his new wife with him and on the back, Mrs Allsopp wrote: “To my darling husband, may God grant you a safe and speedy return to me”.

In 1947, the couple had their first and only child, Roslyn.

At the age of 50, Mrs Allsopp took up the position of clerical officer in the wages department at ROF Glascoed and took retirement aged 65.

Mr Allsopp was a keen gardener and the couple would grow vegetables on an allotment that they would give to people in the community.

She was an active member of King Street Chapel’s women’s league and the former OAP association.

She went to live at the Arthur Jenkins Care Home in April 2011.