Ivy Hague with niece Doreen Wendorn, right, and Ms Wendorn’s daughter, Debbie

IVY Hague celebrated her 100th birthday with a “relay” of relatives and friends, as they visited her in groups of six at a time to comply with the government’s pandemic rules.

Ms Hague, of Hilldrop Crescent, said it was “lovely” to receive a letter from the Queen and also a surprise letter from the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Ms Hague has lived in the Holloway area for almost her whole life, working in a string of jobs from a factory worker to being a lollipop lady.

She found her soul-mate in husband Bill 75 years ago and the pair travelled the world together right into their 80s. Their only “tiffs” were when Arsenal played Tottenham Hotspur as Bill was a Gooner and Ms Hague is a life-long Spurs fan.

Doreen Wendorn, her niece, said: “They were a beautiful couple, always holding hands or linked arm in arm. When Bill sadly died 13 years ago we worried for Ivy but she has taken Bill’s attitude as an inspiration – ‘You’ve just got to keep carrying on’.”

St Luke’s Church in Hillmarton Road, Holloway, helped organise her birthday last Saturday when Ms Hague received a huge blue and white Spurs cake.