Twins share their secret to feeling young aged 104

At 104, Elma Harris and Thelma Barratt are thought to be Britain's oldest twins.

Born in Stockport in 1919, the sisters were 19 at the outbreak of World War Two and have seen the coronation of three monarchs.

Elma and Thelma, who now live together at a care home in Lancashire, attributed their youthful outlook to an occasional drop of brandy.

"If you feel young, you stay young," said Elma.

The twins said they did not always get along as well as they do now, saying they were close to "scratching one another's eyes out sometimes" in their younger days.

Quarrels aside, the sisters said they had plenty of fun, especially while working together at Smiths Crisps, which they joined on leaving school.

Thelma worked at the plant throughout the war, while Elma was called up to work at Fairey Aviation's nearby factory, making parts for the RAF.

Elma's first husband Bill died soon after the war, while Thelma's husband Joe worked as a hatter in Stockport.

"He worked for the hat trade and if he was caught without his hat, he got fined half a crown," Thelma said.

"Many a time when we were courting I would find myself whisked down an entry because he'd seen them in the distance."

The sisters said they always enjoyed a good night out, and would trawl around town looking for new dresses to wear.

The twins - who turn 105 in August - said they still enjoyed life to the full.

"We look at each other and say, 'Who'd have thought we'd live to be this age?'

"We didn't, but we're still here," said Thelma.

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