A KIDDERMINSTER woman has reached a remarkable milestone.

Sze Chung, who lives in the Bryden House care home, celebrated her 106th birthday on Wednesday, September 10 with family and friends – and also received a special card from the Queen in recognition of the extraordinary anniversary.

The centenarian, who has three daughters, nine grandchildren and many more great-grandchildren, was born in Hong Kong in 1908 but moved to the UK in 1977 and settled in Kidderminster in 1992.

She moved into the Marlpool Road care home three years ago and she is the eldest resident the centre has ever had.

Susan Morris, a senior carer who helps look after Mrs Chung, said: “She is a lovely lady with a fiery personality who is admired by all of us and everyone at Bryden House wishes her a very happy birthday.

“Her family visits most days and she really looks forward to seeing them. They spend time playing Mrs Chung’s long-standing hobby – a card game called Lok Foo which she learnt from friends in her Hong Kong village – and she is quite a master of it.”

Mrs Chung cannot speak English but staff at the residential home have taught her words such as “hello” and “bye bye” and she is also known to high five her carers, while night staff often give her prawn crackers which she loves to eat for breakfast.

The 106-year-old had no schooling in Hong Kong during her childhood and instead worked on a farm from an early age. She was married twice but both her husbands died young and life for her during the Second World War in Japanese occupied China was “very tough”.

However she still managed to bring up her three daughters and 37 years ago she moved to the UK, living in New Forest first before making Wyre Forest her home.