Florence Jeffrey celebrated the start of the new millennium with her 100th birthday party.

The birthday date meant that Florence, who lives at the Herncliffe Nursing Home on Spring Gardens Lane, has lived in three centuries.

Florence Sailes was born in Lincoln in on December 31, 1899 and nicknamed 'Mollie' by her grandfather.

She has worked at a Lincoln stationer's shop and, during the war, at the Ministry of Food in Louth.

In 1929, she married Cecil Ernest Jefferey and the couple eventually moved to Keighley.

The couple had no children, but two nieces in Riddlesden.

Cecil died in 1955.

For her centenary, Florence, a "quiet person" was presented with flowers, a glass of sherry and a teatime birthday cake.

As staff toasted her triple treat others in the district let in the year 2000 in a variety of ways.

One couple had more reason than most to feel jubilant as the clock struck midnight.

James McAdam, 22, popped the question to his girlfriend, Gill Fozard, 19, as the Sutton beacon was lit.

To the delight of the crowd Gill said yes and James duly slipped a diamond ring on to her finger.

Sgt Allan Gee, of Keighley police, said Millennium Eve was very quiet.

He added: "People managed to enjoy themselves without getting into trouble.

"From our point of view we're very pleased."

Accident and Emergency staff at Airedale Hospital had expected a rush of casualties but were surprised at how calm everything seemed.

The extra provisions and increased staffing levels which had been provided for the evening proved unnecessary as the expected influx failed to materialise.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.