Mrs. Pettigrew has seen three centuries in her 106 years while Miles Tubb is a relative spring chicken at only 38, and yet they are the closest of friends...
It's a rare friendship between Miles and Mrs Pettigrew (who doesn't go in for first names). They first met through Miles' work on the local aural history project a year ago, and have remained firm friends. "We talk about everything - politics, snooker - she's a huge Stephen Hendrey fan ..." says Miles. "I don't tell him about my courting years, though!" Mrs Pettigrew responds.
Miles is fascinated the span of Mrs Pettigrew's life, "Her earliest memory was when she was four, around 1897; her first child was born in 1914 and her first husband died in 1923. It鈥檚 just the sheer dates!" Mrs. Pettigrew鈥檚 last surviving daughter of three is currently celebrating her 80th birthday and her two nephews are aged 86 and 80.
Speaking about the relationship between these two very different people, Mrs. Pettigrew鈥檚 granddaughter says "A lot of people deal with Granny in a very patronising way. He doesn鈥檛, even though he's the youngest person who has come into her life in a long time..."
Mrs Pettigrew "We can say anything to each other. I've never met anyone like him. He gave me a new lease on life." Miles agrees, "Me too. It鈥檚 just a natural easy friendship. It doesn鈥檛 matter what age someone is - it鈥檚 whether you get on."
