Former Eldon Lane seamstress celebrates 100th birthday (From The Advertiser Series)

Former Eldon Lane seamstress celebrates 100th birthday

2:07pm Thursday 25th October 2012 in News By Ian Noble, Reporter (Shildon and Spennymoor)

A FORMER seamstress celebrated her 100th birthday with a family party today (Thursday, October 25).

Elsie Briggs, of Brancepeth Court Care Home, Willington, reached the milestone yesterday (Wednesday, October 24).

Granddaughter Nicola Elms said: “This is a massive achievement. We’re all very proud of her.

“She always being lots of fun and loved to go on bus trips and get involved in things and she’s an avid reader.”

She was born in Eldon Lane, near Bishop Auckland, in 1912 as one of four children and attended Eldon Lane School.

A talented pianist she was allowed to miss school on Friday mornings to take music lessons.

She left school to work at Duff and Robertson, of Bishop Auckland, where she  trained as a seamstress.

She met her future husband Edward Briggs at a dance  at the town's Drill Hall and they married in 1931 at Eldon Lane church.

A former soldier in the Coldstream Guards, Mr Briggs worked on the railways after leaving the Army. He died  in 1964.

The couple moved to Newcastle before heading back to Eldon Lane and they had two sons Arthur and Trevor.

Mrs Briggs has three grandchildren Christopher, Nicola, Helen and Paul and also five great grandchildren Mark, Luke, Michael, Curtis and Sadie.

She also has one great, great grandchild Leila who was born recently.