Proud pensioner Molly Eagle was the toast of her family and friends as she celebrated a very special birthday, writes Phil Clee.

For despite having lived through the many milestones of the last century, the 84-year-old from Summertown, Oxford, is only just celebrating her 21st birthday!

Molly's secret for keeping age at bay is the fact she was born on Leap Year's Day and enjoys a birthday only every four years.

Known locally as something of a character, she once hoisted a pair of red flannel bloomers from builders' scaffolding at her home. And those "bloomers" reappeared symbolically on Sunday in icing on her birthday cake. The former primary school teacher recently capped her catalogue of capers by writing to the Queen about her forthcoming celebration, only to be told that Her Majesty merely recognised diamond wedding anniversaries and centenaries.

Molly, who was born in Hythe Bridge Street, and who never married, joked: "As I wouldn't qualify for one, and don't think I'll reach the other, I decided instead to write to the Queen Mother."

She was delighted to receive a reply from Clarence House, where a lady-in-waiting passed on the Queen Mother's congratulations and good wishes.

Her "coming of age" was marked with a Champagne party for 100 guests at a church hall near her home in Thorncliffe Road on Sunday. At her party on Sunday, she welcomed nieces and nephews and other relations from as far apart as Cornwall and Scotland.

Story date: Tuesday 29 February

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.