GIRL power has provided the fifth generation of a family spanning almost ninety years.

Baby Spice Bethany Smithson completed the all-star line up of ladies when she was born on Ward B1 at Queen's Park Hospital in Blackburn.

She joins a group including great, great grandmother Margaret Parr - still a Sporty Spice at the age of 89 - and grandmother Jane Benn, 37, who qualifies as Ginger Spice. Bethany's great grandmother Mrs Jean Armstrong, 58, who runs the Oranges and Lemons green grocers at Feniscliffe, Blackburn, said: "I would definitely be Posh Spice.

I think it must be something to do with girl power because there isn't a man in the line up. And at the age of almost 90, my mum is still very sprightly.

"She helps me with shop deliveries so she would be Sporty Spice."

Jean, has 18 grandchildren, but Bethany who lives with her mum Victoria, 17, in Chatburn, provides the family's first set of five complete generations.

Victoria's mum Jane lives in Victoria Street, Rishton, and the eldest member of the band, Margaret, lives at the Fairfield Nursing Home in Feniscliffe.

The only missing member of the chart topping girl group is Scary Spice. Jean added: "Victoria isn't scary. We will have to invent a new name of Mummy Spice for her!"

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.