Little Emily Burns will start school this December - at the age of just one.

Emily, from Leafield, near Witney, was born on February 29, 2004.

Her mum Vicki, 41, said: "She was late and born here at home so it didn't really register at first that she had been born on a Leap Year.

"Then it clicked and we were really pleased.

"Emily has two sisters and one brother and they think it's great that she has this special birthday. Although she doesn't really understand what it means yet."

Emily is pictured, second left, with brother Tom, six, and sisters Alice, eight, and Harriet, 22 months.

  • John Robinson will shortly become a great-grandfather for the third time, but he's not even 20 years old.

The retired Pressed Steel storeman, from Pegasus Road, Blackbird Leys, was born on February 29, 1928. Meaning today is his 20th official birthday.

Mr Robinson, pictured with wife Violet, said: "Every year, apart from leap years, I've celebrated my birthday on the 28th.

"I suppose it seemed quite special to be a Leap Year baby when I was young, but it's never really made that much difference."

Mrs Robinson said: "It sounds strange to say I have a 20-year-old husband - I suppose he's my toyboy!

  • Lucky Mya Buckingham has two reasons to celebrate this week - her first and her fourth birthdays.

The Our Lady Pre-school pupil, from Cowley, Oxford, was born on February 29, 2004, making her a Leap Year baby.

And because Leap Years only occur every four years, this is technically Mya's first birthday.

Mya's mum, Bobbie Falla, 21, said: "Mya was due to be born on February 23, but she was six days late. My partner Carl and I weren't actually surprised. We'd said: 'What if she's a Leap Year baby?' about two months before - and sure enough she was."

She added: "Mya knows she has a special birthday and she loves it because she ends up having two birthdays, one on the 29th and one on the first of March.

"This year she'll have a party on the 29th and on March 1 we'll all be going to the theatre."

Although Mya and her parents will be celebrating her fourth birthday, Mya is expecting some cards inscribed with a number one.

And one of them will probably come from her grandmother Dawn Carter - who has her own special reason to celebrate Leap Years.

Mrs Carter, 45, from Marshall Road, Cowley, used the 2000 leap year to propose to her then partner, Barry, 59.

She explained: "It was pretty out of character to be honest. I'm not a very lovey dovey person and Barry was really surprised when I popped the question.

"Then he said: Well, you'd better do it properly then - get down on one knee!"

Barry said yes and the couple were married on July 28, 2001.

Mrs Carter said: "A lot of friends were shocked when they found out I'd proposed, but I'm glad I did. Barry thought it was lovely and then Mya, our first grandchild coming on a Leap Year four years later made the date even more special.

"I would recommend proposing to your other half to other women."

  • Leap years are needed so that the calendar stays aligned with the earth's motion around the sun.o A tropical year is actually about 365.2422 days long, so using a calendar with only 365 days would result in an error of 0.2422 days or almost six hours per year.

After 100 years, this calendar would be more than 24 days ahead of the seasons.

But by adding an extra day, making it a Leap Year, approximately every fourth year, the difference between the calendar and the seasons is reduced significantly, and the calendar follows the seasons much more closely.