Beckum's oldest woman celebrates her birthday

This makes her the oldest resident of the district and she will soon be one of the top 100 oldest people in Germany.

Mayor Michael Gerdhenrich congratulated the native of Thuringia at a small reception in the Heinrich Dormann Centre and surprised her with a bouquet of flowers.

She was accompanied by her 64-year-old granddaughter Martina Roy and her long-term carers. "Thanks to the support of the care service, my grandma was able to live in her Neubeckum flat until February of this year."

She has retained her laughter and friendliness in her new home. "Whenever I visit her here, I always hear how happy and friendly my grandma is," says Roy. She is also still very active and takes part in the Heinrich Dormann Centre's programme. How do you achieve that? "My grandma was always wiry and energetic and usually in a good mood," explains her granddaughter.

Hildegard Vedder was born on 17 March 1914 in Heiligenstadt and was the eldest of 4 children. Grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren live far apart. Her daughter died 11 years ago, a stroke of fate that Hildegard Vedder had to cope with at the advanced age of 99.

Although her memory and senses are deteriorating, her granddaughter Martina still recognises her. "Incidentally, I've never seen anyone so old in my job," says the trained geriatric nurse with pride.