Five generations, one photo

Dominic Bareham NOT many tots can boast being able to visit their great great grandmother whenever they want - but for eight-week-old Rubie Lawrence the elders are just a short trip away.

Dominic Bareham

NOT many tots can boast being able to visit their great great grandmother whenever they want - but for eight-week-old Rubie Lawrence the elders are just a short trip away.

For the tiny baby lives with her mum Staci Lawrence, 16, and grandmother Joanne Lawrence, 37, in Palgrave Road, Great Yarmouth, just a stone's throw away from her most senior relative Peggy Gooda, 84, who lives in Station Road.

In fact, all five generations of the family still live in the Yarmouth area as Rubie's great grandmother Rosalyn Wheadon, 61, lives with her husband Malcolm, 63, in Lawn Avenue.

Mrs Gooda's other children Peter, 56 and Paul, 58, live

in Caister and Bradwell respectively, while her

sisters Kathleen and Joy Riseborough, 80, live in Hopton and Burgh Castle.

Her son Peter has one child Victoria, 17, while Paul has a son Paul Jnr, 30.

Five of the relatives spanning the generations gathered at Mrs Wheadon's home on Friday to celebrate the joys of family life.

Joanne, who lives with husband Kevin and has two other children - Amanda, 13 and Daniel, 15 - described

how all the generations would still do many things together, including visiting antiques fairs at the Norfolk Showground.

The school administrator at St Nicholas Primary School said the family also made regular visits to the Vendee region of France for beach holidays where they would have fun swimming and building sandcastles.

Mrs Gooda would also regale them with tales of the second world war when her

husband Edward, who died five years ago, served in the Royal Navy and was based

out in Malta when the

island received the George Cross for repelling Nazi attacks.

Joanne said: “I love the family get-togethers. It is always nice to know that

everyone is closeby and always there if you need them.”