A “strong-minded, sweet and loving” Hatfield woman celebrated her 100th birthday with friends and family last week.

Centenarian Violet Gibbs reached the milestone last Wednesday, and savoured the day at the town’s Oak Cottage care home, where Welwyn Hatfield mayor Pat Mabbott also attended.

Violet’s niece, 59-year-old Janice Vincent, said: “It went very well. She had three relatives and two best friends there, everyone was there it was really nice.

“Pat turned up at around 2.15pm with a basket full of flowers for her and we made a cake for her, and they [the care home] were going to have a tea party later in the day.”

Janice trumpeted the “jovial” atmosphere, and said and Violet was in good spirits being surrounded by her loved ones.

Violet was married, but had no children, and spent periods in Devon and Cheshunt, before eventually moving into the Hatfield care home last year.

“She enjoyed life to the full and even in her later years she was fiercely independent and looked after other people,” Janice added.

“She finally moved to the home having reached a point where she couldn’t do everything for herself, but thinking she was 99, that’s a milestone on its own.

“She has the girls at the care home in hysterics sometimes, she has her own funny little ways. She was always a private person.”

On the day, care home staff made a 100-shaped cake, before having a sing-along, and Violet also received a telegram from the Queen.

Everyone also admired precious old photos that family members had brought with them.

Care home manager Natalie Theanne said: “She’s a very pleasant lady, very independent, strong-minded, sweet and loving and has all her faculties still there at a hundred.

“She’s a lady that knows what she wants.”

Mayor Pat Mabbott added: “It was a real pleasure to meet Violet and celebrate this significant milestone with her.

“It’s not often that people live to 100 – having said that, there must be something in the water in this great borough, because on Wednesday, May 17, I’m attending another centenarian’s celebrations!

“It will be my fourth so far this year. I can’t think of a better borough to live in for 100 years.”