A Kendal woman who has lived an incredibly interesting and varied life has turned 100 this week.

Over 40 people came from all over England to celebrate Ena Woolfenden's birthday on Wednesday (June 12). 

She is the longest-living person in a long list of ancestors and is one of only 13,000 centenarians in a population of 68 million in the UK.

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Born on June 12, 1924, she met her husband Jack Woolfenden whom she married in 1945.

She has two children, Keith, 77, and Ian, who died aged 55, five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Ena was born in Wigton and moved to Kendal in 1974 but as well as living in Cumbria and Lancashire, she has also lived in Hongkong, Colombo in Sri Lanka and Damascus in Syria.

Jack, who died aged 79, went off to serve in the Second World War whilst Ena joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service - the women's branch of the British Army.

(Image: Keith Woldfenden) Her son Keith, a retired IT worker who now lives in Perth, Australia, said: "She didn't talk about it much at all but she worked in one of the munitions factories and rumour has that her and the girls would write 'up yours Adolf' on the bombs.

"From around 1959 she lived in Hong Kong and worked for the police force for a while and then in the jewellery business specialising in diamonds.

"She's had such an interesting life."

As well as possessing many talents, Ena has also brushed shoulders with quite a few celebrities in her time.

In Sri Lanka she lived next door to Arthur C Clarke, the science fiction writer of cult classic 2001: A space Odyssey, and would go round to his place for drinks regularly.

She also became friendly with Wigton parliamentarian and author Melvyn Bragg and even took part in a movie with Judi Dench.

Keith added: "It was film called Mr and Mrs Edgehill.

"She was an extra so it was non speaking walk on part. She walked down the street and into a shop where Judi Dench was and had a scene with her in the shop.

"She was living in Colombo at the time and when they were making the film, they needed some Europeans. Both my parents put their hand up - mum was picked but dad wasn't!"

(Image: Keith Woldfenden) The couple retired to Kendal in the 1970s but Jack still worked for the UN in Bangladesh and Costa Rica for a while.

Ena didn't go with him as their first two grandchildren had arrived. 

Keith added: "She takes no nonsense and she's brought her kids up so well - we were so independent.

"She's very popular and people came from all over England to see her on her 100th birthday -  London, Yorkshire, Cumbria."

Ena enjoyed her special day at the Old Vicarage care home in Grange-over-Sands.