This year, people born during the outbreak of World War One will be celebrating their 100th birthdays and have watched our towns evolve over the eras.

According to the Office for National Statistics, one in three children born today will reach the grand old age of 100.

There are currently 13,780 people aged 100 or over in the UK – 70% more than ten years ago.

We’ve been speaking to a few of our centenarians about their finest moments and what lessons their long lives have taught them.

* For the full story, see tomorrow's Braintree and Witham Times.