She may be celebrating her 100th birthday, but former Black Country tailoress Lily Tromans remains as sharp as a needle.

Lily spent almost all her working life as a tailoress, with lengthy stints at Wright’s of Old Hill and Osbournes of Stourbridge and is a keen knitter to this day.

The cheerful grandmother from The Crescent, Cradley Heath, has been commemorating her milestone birthday with friends and family members all week.

But as her daughter-in-law Helen said, her advanced years should not be taken as a sign of a fading mind. “You dare not forget to do something she knows about – because she definitely won’t forget,” she said. “Like most people of that age, she’s a bit frail nowadays, but mentally she’s brilliant. 

“She’s a lovely caring lady too, and spent a long time looking after her own father.”

Her husband Samuel died in 1960. She had one son John and one granddaughter Elizabeth.

Read the full story in the Express & Star. 

She may be celebrating her 100th birthday, but former Black Country tailoress Lily Tromans remains as sharp as a needle.

Lily spent almost all her working life as a tailoress, with lengthy stints at Wright’s of Old Hill and Osbournes of Stourbridge and is a keen knitter to this day.

The cheerful grandmother from The Crescent, Cradley Heath, has been commemorating her milestone birthday with friends and family members all week.

But as her daughter-in-law Helen said, her advanced years should not be taken as a sign of a fading mind. “You dare not forget to do something she knows about – because she definitely won’t forget,” she said. “Like most people of that age, she’s a bit frail nowadays, but mentally she’s brilliant. 

“She’s a lovely caring lady too, and spent a long time looking after her own father.”

Her husband Samuel died in 1960. She had one son John and one granddaughter Elizabeth.

The oldest living member of the Cradley Heath Salvation Army, she was delighted to be treated to a personal performance from the group’s band on her own doorstep last week, after choosing the hymns herself.

Lily said the secret of a long life was a simple one – “contentment”.