Devon twins celebrate 90th birthdays by moving in together

Family handout TwinsFamily handout
Pauline Vincent (left) said she did not like being left alone

Twin sisters are celebrating their 90th birthdays by moving in together for the first time in decades.

Pauline Vincent and Jacqueline Hetherington had been living in separate sheltered accommodation in Ashburton, Devon, when they decided it was time to become flatmates.

Mrs Hetherington's daughter Jaine Swift said they were inseparable.

"They really need each other and get very anxious when they are apart," she said.

"At this stage of their lives it seems perfect that they move in together."

Mrs Swift and other family members helped the sisters move on Friday and made them a birthday breakfast of smoked salmon and champagne on Saturday.

Family handout TwinsFamily handout
Pauline Vincent said they had a good childhood and were "very spoilt"

The sisters, who were born in Halifax, west Yorkshire, in 1931, came to Devon in the 1960s, with Mrs Vincent working as a secretary and Mrs Hetherington raising a family of four children.

Mrs Swift said the twins had not lived together since their 20s when her mother married but remained close throughout their adult lives.

Asked if the siblings ever fought, Mrs Vincent said they were "harmonious together" but Mrs Swift pointed out that her aunt was the tidier - and more bossy - of the pair.

"I don't like to be left alone," Mrs Vincent added.

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