Grantham woman celebrates 100th birthday at Belton Park Golf Club surrounded by friends, family and some owls

A woman who was born and bred in Grantham has celebrated her 100th birthday with her family.

Leila Mary Staight nee Bowles, became a centenarian today (Tuesday) and has marked the occasion with a celebration at Belton Park Golf Club, which included family members and a parliament of owls.

Born at Spitalgate Heath Farm, Leila was the third of seven children, attending St Anne’s Primary School, before the Girls Central School.

She left school at the age of 15, taking a job in the office of H & H Cox, Gentlemen’s Outfitters in High Street.

The Second World War broke out within a year, and Leila was called to work at Aveling Barford making ammunition boxes, with her older sister Bet.

She was later called back to help her parents at Spitalgate Heath Farm, which sat opposite to RAF Spitalgate, a bomber base.

Leila recalled that returning aircraft routinely flew low over the farmhouse as they came into land, with one damaged aircraft failing to reach its base and crash landing in the farmyard.

She added that she enjoyed dancing with her two older sisters at Jeff’s Club throughout the war.

Leila married John Henry Brandreth in 1949 at St John the Evangelist in Spitalgate in Station Road.

John was a motor mechanic and electrician, working at Harlaxton Motors, before moving to a job at Gonerby Hill Foot Garage.

In that time, the couple lived in Denton, before moving to Grantham at Ladysmith Terrace and then Belton Avenue, where Leila still lives today.

The couple had two children together. Christopher was born in 1951, and Jillian arrived five years later. Leila also has four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

John died shortly after the couple celebrated their silver wedding.

Until John became ill, Leila had devoted her time to caring for her home and family.

She was advised by her doctor to seek work to help her cope with John’s terminal illness, and she secured a part-time position in the bedding department of the Grantham Co-operative Society in 1974, where she worked for a number of years and made many friends, some of whom she remains in contact with today.

In 1978, Leila married Percy Staight, a widower with three grown up children of his own.

She married on the same day, in a joint ceremony with Jill, her daughter.

Percy was a self-employed craftsman upholsterer specialising in the covering of antique chairs and settees.

Leila retired from the Co-op in 1983. She enjoys knitting, reading, and meeting friends.

When her children lived at home, Leila enjoyed family caravan holidays, mainly in Cornwall and Isle of Wight

Percy was a very active member of Grantham Table Tennis Club and played bowls competitively until his death in 1999. He was a committed sports person who served in WW2 as a Sergeant PTI.

Leila has continued to lead an active life, living alone, and keeping her three-bedroom home spotless and her garden in good order.

She has maintained strong friendships, some from the earliest of days, with those she cared about, but has lost most of them with the passage of time, as she has outlived them.

Joyce Hand, who lives around the corner in Elm Grove, has been a particularly close and good friend over 50 years.

Leila’s one surviving sibling, Robin Bowles, the youngest in the family continues as a lifelong friend and much-loved brother.

Now, at the age of one hundred, Leila still keeps her home in order, reads a lot, watches TV, and looks forward to visits from her children.