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Twin sisters celebrate 100th birthday - and they still live together!

A pair of twins are celebrating their 100th birthday
A pair of twins are celebrating their 100th birthday

A pair of twins are as close as ever – after celebrating their 100th birthday.

Irene Crump and Phyllis Jones were born 25 minutes apart on November 20, 1916, and still live together a century on. They even have each other’s first name for their middle name.

The twins, who live in Stourport, Worcestershire, aren’t identical but look remarkably similar, put their milestone birthday down to “hard work and good food” and celebrated in style with 48 friends and a traditional Sunday roast.

A pair of twins are as close as ever - after celebrating their 100th birthday
Twins Irene and Phyllis were born 25 minutes apart and live together 100 years on (Pictures: Caters)

Irene and Phyllis went to the same school and shared their first job at Steatite Porcelain Products before Irene married farmer Samuel Crump. He died in 1999 and lived well into his 90s, and Phyllis’ husband Ray Jones died aged 91 in 2006.

The twins had an elder sister, Dorothy, who was also a twin, but her sibling passed away during childbirth. She died in 2006 aged 92.

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Irene, the younger of the two, said: “We often celebrate our special birthdays together, and we had a lovely day. We celebrated our 90th together, and last year we celebrated our 99th birthday too.

“Hard work and good food is our secret, that’s all I can put it down to.”

A pair of twins are as close as ever - after celebrating their 100th birthday
Family – the twins had an elder sister, Dorothy, who was also a twin, but her sibling passed away during childbirth.

She said they had always been close and Phyllis had moved in with her five years ago.

Although Irene never had any children, Phyllis’ only son Carl Jones helps care for them both, especially now Phyllis has vascular dementia.

Carl, 58, said: “They live independently and they’re doing great, and if there’s an emergency they’ll ring me.

“They get on well but they do have their moments – but that’s going to happen whether they’re 100 or 20!”

A pair of twins are as close as ever - after celebrating their 100th birthday.
Special occasions – Irene and Phyllis always celebrate together

Carl, who’s now retired, added: “Mum and Auntie Rene, as most people call her, have always lived a few miles apart, and now they live together.

“They’re totally different though – Auntie Rene has always been very methodical and careful, but Mum always races around doing things.”

The pair are thought to be one of just six sets of ‘centenarian’ twins in the UK and go out for lunch most Fridays at the Lenchford Inn, where they celebrated their birthday.

They didn’t ask for presents to mark their special day, instead asking for donations for the air ambulance.

Irene said: “We haven’t got all the money in yet but we think we’ve done pretty well, it’s a cause close to our heart.”

A pair of twins are as close as ever - after celebrating their 100th birthday
A pair of twins are as close as ever - after celebrating their 100th birthday