FOR her 100th birthday, you may think a lady would want a relaxing day being pampered.

But not Freda Yates, who spent yesterday—like she spends every Tuesday — doing her shopping at her local supermarket.

The centenarian, who lives in sheltered accommodation in Farnworth, still gets a Ringand- Ride bus to Asda, in Brackley Street, every week —and she even refused a chauffeur-driven ride to the store to celebrate her 100th year, saying she didn’t want a fuss.

But yesterday, staff did not want to let the country’s oldest Asda customer do her shopping without a special celebration.

For once, Mrs Yates did not have to pay for her weekly “big shop”—and the store also treated her to champagne, a birthday cake and £100 in gift vouchers.

A stunned Mrs Yates, who has shopped at the store since it opened in Farnworth, said: “I’ve come here for 20 years and I have always enjoyed my shopping.

“I am used to coming here on a Tuesday. I didn’t want to miss it just because it was my birthday.

“I get all my groceries here but I didn’t expect all this.”

Mrs Yates, a lifelong Bolton Wanderers fan, has lived through each of the Whites’ four FA Cup victories, two World Wars and the sinking of the Titanic.

But yesterday morning, saw one of the proudest moments of her life—like all 100-yearolds on their birthday, Mrs Yates received a card from the Queen.

She said: “We were all in the dining room and the postman arrived and brought in the card from the Queen.

“Everyone was looking at it.”

Mrs Yates was born in Farnworth and has lived there all her life.

She attended All Saints School before leaving aged 14 to become a cotton weaver.

Her husband, Bert, died 30 years ago. She has two sons and a daughter, six grandchildren, eight greatgrandchildren and five step great-grandchildren.

As well as her weekly big shop, there is another habit Mrs Yates has not given up.

The Wanderers fan, who spent her 99th birthday watching her favourite team play at the Reebok Stadium, said: “I still get The Bolton News every day to read all about the Wanderers.”

Mrs Yates was joined at Asda yesterday by her son Geoffrey Yates, aged 63, from Chorley, and her daughter, Pauline Radford, aged 67, who nowlives in Derbyshire.

Asda Farnworth store manager Richard O’Mahony said: “She is a remarkable lady, very self-sufficient and everyone here just loves her to bits, and we’re thrilled that as Asda’s oldest customer she’s chosen to spend her big day with us.”