Family from across the world came together to celebrate the 100th birthday of a former Huddersfield nurse.

Thousands of miles were travelled by several generations of Lillian Lane’s relatives.

Lillian made Huddersfield her home after being evacuated from Brighton during the Second World War.

And the fresh Pennine air has clearly done sprightly Lillian the world of good as she celebrates her century of years.

As soon as she arrived in Huddersfield Lillian was entranced by the striking hills and moors. She came in 1941 with her children while husband Leslie was serving in France.

Lillian said: “I loved it straight away and said that I would never go back.”

The family stayed at Waterloo Liberal Club, where she sheltered until after the war, when she was reunited with Leslie and they moved to Hartley Cottage in Kirkburton.

There the pair had many happy times with their five children Sylvia, Leonard, Maurice, David and Andrew.

Lillian said: “One of my happiest memories was cooking rabbits for the family which my sons caught for me in the woods nearby. It was a great way to live.”

And in 1947 she realised a new talent when she became a nurse at Storthes Hall Hospital.

Very content with her job, she stayed there until her retirement in the mid 1970s.

“I really enjoyed being a nurse and getting to know all the patients. I had many happy times there.”

Lillian’s love of travelling to pastures new was notched up a gear in 1954, when she decided to learn to drive and bought her first car.

Lillian said: “It gave me more independence and it was lovely to be able to zip up and down the country to see my relatives, who all still lived down south.”

It was when she retired that she was able to journey even further afield.

She said: “I wanted to travel to different places, so I decided to go on several trips to see two of my sons, who had moved to Canada.

“We went all over the country and I met other relatives, several of whom still live out there today.”

Her travelling bug inspired younger members of her family, some of whom have since moved to France and New Zealand.

But she also was happy to enjoy the local scenery, which she looked out on whilst knitting her children fair isle jumpers and reading a broad selection of books.

She now lives with daughter Sylvia in Shepley where they are kept youthful by regular visits from her 10 grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.