Secret to living to a ripe old age? Sunshine, good food and the odd tipple says Sussex centenarian

That’s according to Jose Allen, and she should know because Jose celebrated her 100th birthday at her home in Henfield on December 22.

And there to help make the birthday celebrations go with a swing – along with her family – were The Candy Girls, a leading close-harmony vintage trio who featured in the recent Michael Caine film The Great Escaper. Candy Girl member Elkie Jeffery is the wife of Jose’s grandson Nicholas Allen.

Jose was born and grew up in Haywards Heath where she attended St Joseph’s Catholic convent school and developed a love of ballet and ballroom dancing.

War broke out when Jose was 18 and she joined the Land Army and was sent to a farm in Firle in East Sussex as the main tractor driver.

There she met her husband, local farmer and landowner John Allen, while at a dance with his sister Millicent and the couple married after the war.

They moved to Blackstone, near Horsham, to John’s family farm and Jose took on work as a secretary at a farm in Scaynes Hill.

She became interested in flower arranging which was later to lead to a meeting with the late Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, among other royals.

Jose founded the Henfield Flower Club with her sister-in-law Millicent and proved she had a natural talent for flower arranging. She created many arrangements and held many arranging demonstrations, as well as holding a number of flower arranging posts over the years.

She met the late Queen and late Duke of Edinburgh through her flower arranging work and went on to arrange the flowers at Westminster Abbey for the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of York.

Her grandaughter Sophie Allen-Etchart added: “She has met King Charles previously, as she was a prominent flower arranger for most of her life.”

Jose and husband John moved from Blackstone to Henfield in 2001 where Jose still lives independently in her home.

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She has three grandchildren and four great grandchildren.

And she has no hesitation in sharing her secret to a long and happy life – “plenty of sunshine, a good diet and the odd tipple.”