Woman, 106, who worked in landmark wrecked by bombs…

Woman, 106, who worked in landmark wrecked by bombs shares secret to her long life

A Merseyside woman who has just celebrated her 106th year shared the secret to her long and amazing life.

Cecily Hawkins, who celebrated her 106th birthday on Sunday, December 11, was born in Birkenhead in 1916, reports Stoke on Trent Live. A talented pianist and lifelong lover of music, Cecily has two daughters, six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Incredibly, Cecily has been alive during both World Wars, and spent WWII in the Auxiliary Territorial Service as one of the first 20 women trained as radar operators. She also served as an instrument mechanic in Coventry before returning to Merseyside to work as a civil servant at the Custom House in Liverpool.

The Custom House has been described as Liverpool's Fourth Grace and may well be Liverpool's most famous lost landmark. The giant domed structure was built on the site of Liverpool's Old Dock and was opened in 1839.

The building was gutted in the May 1941 Blitz but its shell survived for another seven years, with many believing it could have been rebuilt but it was controversially pulled down in 1948. Now living in a care home, Cecily's love of music has been a constant in her life from a young age.

She began piano lessons at age of 11 and she later embraced her love of music as a career, working as a private piano teacher and a school music teacher, as well as being an accompanist at music exams and festivals, and with choral societies such as the Etruscan Singers and the Bedford Singers. The centenarian had lived with her husband, Wilson, in Newcastle before moving to Woodview Care Home in Bradwell, Stoke-on-Trent.

Cecily Hawkins celebrating her 106th birthday with husband, Wilson, at Woodview Care Home in Bradwell (StokeOnTrentLive)

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Cecily only gave up teaching the piano at the age of 90 when macular degeneration made it too difficult to see. However, she still regularly entertains fellow residents at the care home with her performances on the piano - all done from memory without sheet music.

Cecily said: "My parents were pianists and we always had a piano at home. I started lessons at 11 and took to it like a duck to water. I was a piano addict from an early age."

Asked for the secret of her long life, Cecily put it down to keeping active and a love of food. She said: "I've always been a great eater. I've always been fond of food and enjoy my meals. I have kept active all my life and loved walking and being out of doors."

Cecily Hawkins as a young woman (StokeOnTrentLive)

It was in 1942 that Cecily met her first husband, Edward Alfred Watkins, but the couple divorced in 1967. It wasn't until 23-years later that she met her second husband, Wilson, 79, by chance at a music store; they embarked on a whirlwind romance which ended in marriage soon after.

Wilson said: "We met in the A Major music shop in Bridge Street one Saturday in 1992 - I was looking at piano duets and Cecily was returning plastic bags! We hit it off immediately, and married on 29th February, 1992."

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Becky Redfern, manager of Woodview Care Home, said the residents and staff enjoyed listening to Cecily's piano recitals. She added: "Cecily entertains the residents on the piano for hours, all without using sheet music. I've never heard her play a wrong note and all the residents love listening to her play.

"Cecily has a lot of character and gives the staff a run for their money. You would never think she was 106 years old and we are delighted to be celebrating with her."

Do you know anyone in Merseyside older than Cecily? Let us know in the comments section below.

Cecily has also just received a card from King Charles III on Friday congratulating her on her birthday.

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