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A woman who drove cars until the age of 98, took a flying lesson on her 80th birthday and built parts for fighter planes in the Second World War has celebrated turning 100.

Joyce Raggett, who has lived in Epping Forest for 56 years, celebrated her centenary with a party at Thornwood Village Hall in Weald Hall Lane last Thursday.

Ms Raggett spent six years during the Second World War working in a factory where she discovered her love for Mosquito fighter bombers. 

She carved and designed parts from wood for the aeroplanes, which were rumoured at the time to be one of the fastest, until the end of the war in 1945.

Ms Raggett’s son, Simon Marsh, 64, from North London, who attended her 100th birthday party, said: “She is a hardworking, quick-witted woman who has experienced a lot in her life.

“Mum even remembers things like being three-years-old and seeing a Zeppelin shot down over London during the First World War.

For more on this story, see this week's Guardian - out Thursday.