Dorothy Sutcliffe celebrated her 105th birthday on August 2 with family and staff at the Granby Extended Care Unit.

Born in 1903, Dorothy was the eldest of three children to Jeremiah and Martha Jackson, who were to become the Mayor and Mayoress of Todmorden in the 1930s.

In 1930 she married Jack Sutcliffe and together they had a son Michael, who was born in 1931.

Her husband died in 1946 and she then took over the family business, which manufactured textile machinery.

She ran the company for over 20 years.

Her son Michael died in 1990, and she moved to Granby in 2001 following a broken hip.

Her nephew Timothy Fielden visited her on August 2 when she celebrated her birthday with a cake and a card from the Queen.

Despite her busy lifestyle, he said, she found time in the 1950s and 60s to travel extensively in Europe and the Americas, and was proficient in several languages including French, German and Spanish.

He said: "She was a cryptic crossword addict and tackled all the very difficult ones.

"She was still solving crosswords up to her 100th birthday."

Sue Orr, manager of the Granby Extended Care Unit, said she had a very special day on her birthday: "She had her hair done and came down to open her flowers and presents.

"She had a very bright day and certainly enjoyed opening her presents and her card from the Queen."