Lemonade toast as Joyce celebrates 101st birthday

Joyce Lynas, 101, drinks a glass of lemonade nearly every day

A woman has celebrated her 101st birthday with the drink she has enjoyed since childhood - a daily glass of lemonade.

Joyce Lynas, from Boroughbridge, fell in love with lemonade when treated to a freshly squeezed glass on her father's farm.

"In the hay field we used to have drinks, and my mother used to make lemonade, and I used to drink that - I didn't like plain water," she says.

Born in Sicklinghall, Joyce still lives alone at her home in Boroughbridge, supported by carers and her two children, five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, many of whom still live in North Yorkshire.

Daughter Jennifer Oliver, 66, says that old age runs in the family.

"I think it's because we were all born out in the countryside and grew up with fresh air," she says.

"We grew up in a little village with no bus service, no shops - we had to walk everywhere across fields to school, come wind, rain or shine."

Joyce echoes this sentiment, citing home-cooked meals as another factor for longevity - as well as "never being a drinker".

Her mother lived until she was 100, so Joyce "already has a year on her", Jennifer jokes.

Joyce's children Jennifer and James say living to an old age runs in the family

"There still isn't a lot of families that have the different generations that we have, although it's difficult to get the four generations together," she says.

"I've got lots of friends who've already lost their parents, or they're not as well as my mum - it's lovely that she's still plodding along really well, for 101."

Joyce's previous jobs include a stint at a shoe shop in Wetherby, before taking up a position as a supervisor at a toy factory on the Thorpe Park Trading Estate.

In her spare time, she loved to go dancing on a Saturday, favouring quicksteps and waltzes.

Jemma Ellis, service lead from Springfield Healthcare, has been involved in Joyce's care for eight years.

She says it is an "absolute pleasure" to visit Joyce, as she is "always happy and never had any complaints".

"For 101, Joyce is very independent still, she does really well," she says.

"She's just a happy, smiley lady - she's a joy to look after."

Joyce and her family have celebrated many of her significant milestone birthdays in style - for her 80th, they took a trip to the capital to ride the London Eye.

Last year's centenary celebrations involved a card from the King and a meal out with the whole family.

But for her 102nd, there's still one wish that Joyce would like to fulfil - a hot air balloon ride, to "see the world" from above.

"It's something that I've fancied - and you're sat down," she laughs.

Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.