Kathleen Crabtree with her daughter, Pauline Renault, and son Raymond Crabtree Picture: MATTHEW HOTTON (01056997)

A WOMAN who toasted her 100th birthday with a glass of champagne this week has put her longevity down to a good sense of humour and a love of football.

Kathleen Crabtree has lived in the Island for more than 20 years and celebrated her special day on Monday with a party for family and friends at Pinewood Residential Home, where she has lived for the past 18 months.

Cornwall-born Kathleen is an avid Manchester United fan but with the rest of her family all supporters of arch-rivals Manchester City, the centenarian has to put up with a lot of stick when it comes to football.

Kathleen, whose favourite football player is Ryan Giggs, was born in Ramehead, Cornwall, but moved to Manchester as a young child. She married the late James Crabtree in Victoria Park, Manchester, in February 1932 and the family owned two clothes shops in the city for a number of years before moving to Bath where they owned another shop.

The couple had two children, Raymond and Pauline, and Kathleen now has six grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild. She also appeared in a Vision Express advert six years ago alongside people of all ages advertising glasses.

Speaking about what it is like to reach 100, Kathleen said: ‘Well I am naturally very pleased. And it is lovely to see family and friends around and I am very grateful.’

• Find more features in our  Islanders section in Thursday’s Jersey Evening Post