A brainy great aunt who was still doing her family business's accounts aged 80, celebrated her 100th birthday this week.

Mary Artiss celebrated with family and friends at Everfield House care home in Mulgrave Road, Sutton, on Tuesday.

The former accountant, who lived for more than 50 years in her home in Esher Avenue, in North Cheam, helped run her family business Artiss Haulage through three generations of the same family.

She worked there for more than 60 years, still doing the accounts for the family business, which transports goods and hires out skips, now run by her uncle Rodney, in her 80s.

Mr Artiss said: “She has a great brain. While everyone else her age was retired she still wanted to keep working. It was amazing.”

Miss Artiss, a fan of dancing and the theatre and quizzes, was the only sister to seven brothers.

When her mother died when she was aged just 13, she ended up bringing up many of her brothers, caring for them even when they were older.

She looked after her younger brother Alex, who was gassed while serving in the war, when he returned home.

She lived with and cared for him until he died of respiratory problems years later.

Mr Artiss said she was known as “sis” to her friends and family, because of the number of brothers she had but also becasue she cared like a sister for so many people.

He said: “She really dedicated herself to others. She has always been a lovely lady with such a good heart.”

She was a regular at Cheam Methodist Church at Church Hill Road before joining the old people's home.

During the war she worked as a secretary in the fire service.

The family had to move to North Cheam at the end of WWII when their family home in Battersea was bombed towards the end of the war.

Miss Artiss said she did not have secret to long life.