Bilston woman celebrates 100th birthday

Kathleen Mary Colbourne, formerly Kathleen Bowen, was born on July 25, 1920, and lived in what was then known as St Luke's Place in Bilston; she still lives in Bilston today.

Her family and friends gathered on Saturday for an outdoor party – now coronavirus restrictions have eased – to celebrate the milestone event.

Her son John Colebourne said it was a lovely day for everyone.

He said: "My mother has had a good life being part of a loving family and in later years she liked nothing better than she and her husband Sam going out at the weekends and on holiday with her daughter-in-law's parents, with who she became best friends."

When she was young, her family lived in St Luke's Place – which is now the South West Academy and the Bert Williams Centre – until 1929 before moving to her current home where she has been for 90 years.

She met Samuel Colebourne during the war years when they worked together at Nicklin Ltd – she worked as a milling machine operator and he was a welder, both of them working to make bomb casings.

They were married in Holy Trinity Church in 1942 and had a son, John, at the end of 1944.

During the late 1940s Mrs Colbourne was asked to deputise for a dinner lady at Holy Trinity School in Bilston for two weeks.

But that two weeks turned into 30 years and she served at both the infants school in Oxford Street and the junior and senior school in Queen Street.

For many years she was also secretary of the Mother's Guild at the Holy Trinity Church and helped organise functions and other events to raise money for the church.

Her friends and family gathered in Bilston with cake, food, and gifts on Saturday to celebrate with her.