A ‘remarkable’ 109-year-old woman has celebrated her milestone birthday surrounded by cakes and balloons.

The former Woolworths employee, keen cyclist and Swarthmore care home resident Kathleen “Kitty” Donathy spent a weekend celebrating with her family.

She was born in Kensington on February 5, 1914, as one of five children.

Buckinghamshire became Mrs Donathy's home during the First World War, when the family moved to Stoke Poges.

She can still remember the 'scary blackouts'. Sometimes the family played games, but they were also forced to sit in complete darkness during air raids at times.

Mrs Donathy met her husband after moving to Gerrards Cross and they married when she was 20-years-old.

During her career she was a housemaid in grand houses in the area, and later on she worked at the legendary Woolworths department store while she started her own family.

READ MORE: Why was police helicopter flying over Chesham yesterday?

She is now the proud mother of one boy and two girls with four grandchildren, 11 great grandchildren and great great grandchildren.  

Mrs Donathy said she 'didn’t really know what I have done differently to any other person' to have a long life.

She has always cooked fresh food, had a healthy diet and ridden a bike everywhere until her 90s, and awarded herself with an occasionally pint of Guinness, she said.

Gerrards Cross is filled with memories for her, including cycling around carrying fresh ingredients from the independent shops years ago.