A WRAF veteran turns 100 today and has so many relatives, they'll be visiting in shifts.

May Winter celebrates her landmark birthday today, but her landlords, the Senacre Housing Co-operative, have already thrown her a birthday party.

Mrs Winter, who served with WRAF during the Second World War, has lived at Ashcroft House, in Epsom Close, Senacre, in Maidstone, for the past 30 years.

Born May Hills, she spent the first part of her life living in a flat over the stables at a large house in West Kingsdown, where her father was gardener and chauffeur to the Pritchard family.

Her mum was the family's laundry maid.

She followed her parents into service, working at several large homes, until at 18 she was able to sign up to the Women's Royal Air Force in the Second World War.

She met her husband-to-be, Lawson Winter in the RAF – he was a Flight Sergeant – and they married after the war.

Mr Winter had a son already by a previous marriage, and they had three more sons together, with Mrs Winter a full-time mother to all four until they were old enough to leave home.

She then got a job in the canteen at Shepway Junior School.

Her chief hobbies were gardening and water-colouring, at which she was particularly talented, and her family.

As well as sons – John, Robert, Fred and Jimmy – she has 10 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren and 10 great-great-grandchildren.

Her son Fred said: "Most of us are expecting to visit her on her birthday, but we are going in shifts so that it is not too overwhelming for her!"

He described his mother as "very kind and loving."

At her birthday party on Monday, Mrs Winter was joined by the Mayor of Maidstone, Cllr Derek Mortimer; the chairman of the Maidstone branch of the Royal British Legion, Cllr Dave Naghi; and by Wing Commander Shaun Ryles.

The Wing Commander presented Mrs Winter with a painting of three RAF aircraft and thanked her for her wartime service on behalf of the Royal Air Force.