A WOMAN from Malpas celebrated her 100th birthday alongside her family on Wednesday.

Joan Watkins was born on November 13, 1919, and worked in service nearly all her life.

Ms Watkins worked in the service industry in various guises, cooking and cleaning, in places such as Gloucester, Ross-On-Wye, Weston-Super-Mare and Caerleon - the latter was for the Dawson family, who owned a timber firm in Newport Docks.

She spent many years working for the Dawson family at their impressive Caerleon home, The Mynde, until Mrs Dawson died.

During the Second World War, she worked in New Inn at the Pilkington glassworks.

READ MORE:

And it was during the war that she met Arthur Thomas Watkins, who would become her husband.

The pair were married by special license in 1941, and were husband and wife for more than 50 years until Mr Watkins' death.

Ms Watkins was living independently until five years ago, and now lives at Blaen-y-Pant Care Home in Malpas.

At her birthday party on Wednesday Ms Watkins was joined by many generations of her family who had braved the weather and the traffic to make it down for her special day.