Minnie plays generation game to mark birthday

Mrs Young, known as Minnie, has six daughters, 20 grandchildren, 33 great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren.

She celebrated her birthday with a party among family and friends at Northfield House Hotel on Sunday.

Mrs Young, who turned 95 the day after her party, said the secret of a long and good life was "determination and a good sense of humour".

Her youngest daughter Moira Davidson, 63, said: "She had an absolutely fabulous day. She was just giving it laldy. My mum was in her wheelchair but it didn't stop her from trying to boogie. The highlight of her day was being with all her family."

Mrs Young was born and grew up in Abbeyhill, and was a pupil at Regent Road Primary School and Bellevue School.

After leaving school at the age of 14, her first proper job was as a machine operator in knitwear factory Dickson's in Abbeyhill, where she worked for around six years.

Prior to that she had a job delivering newspapers in the Abbeyhill area, which came to a rather unusual end.

Mrs Davidson says: "She gave it up because the owner of the shop had been in the First World War and took a nervous breakdown, and he confronted my mum with a gun when she was 14, so she never went back."

Mrs Young was introduced to husband-to-be Harry Young by her sister. The couple married in Abbeyhill around a year later. Mrs Young became a stay-at-home mum after their first daughter was born in 1936. Her youngest great-great-grandchild is just seven months old, while her oldest grandchild is 52.

Mr Young, who was Edinburgh's longest-serving lollipop man, passed away around five years ago. The couple spent more than 40 years living in Craigmillar.

Mrs Young moved to Guthrie House Care Home in Liberton last year.

Mrs Davidson added: "My mum nearly died about eight years ago but she fought back. She had renal failure and the doctors didn't expect her to live. But she said, 'I'm not ready to go, I'm a tough old bird'."

Mrs Young enjoys doing crosswords, watching television and listening to music in her free time.

"She's got all her marbles and she is a fantastic storyteller," said Mrs Davidson. "She loves musicals and her favourite is The Sound of Music."