Second birthday for two eight-year-olds!

BELIEVE it or not, these two Ipswich youngsters will actually only be celebrating their second birthdays tomorrow!

However they are officially eight-years-old. Confused?

Well both Liam Gregory and Charlotte Bolt were born on February 29 in a leap year, 2000, which means the actual day they were born only comes round once every four years.

Charlotte, a Clifford Road Primary School student of Dover Road, off Foxhall Road, said: “I like it because I feel special and when there isn't a 29th I have my birthday on March 1.

“If I could I wouldn't change my birthday - I'd keep it on the 29th.”

Liam, a Halifax Primary School pupil from Neath Drive, Maidenhall, added: “It's fun but sometimes people keep going on about it and sometimes I get really annoyed.

“I have told my teachers I'm two but when other people say it I get upset because I'm eight really.

“I wouldn't want my birthday on any other day, expect Christmas maybe!

“I look forward to leap years because it is a special birthday. I normally have my birthday on February 28.”

The pair were among 11 babies born at Ipswich Hospital on February 29, 2000, but Charlotte was the only girl, making her feel even more special.

Her mum, Karen, said: “She was due on the 28th and I said to her 'you're not coming out on the 29th' but she didn't take any notice!”

In contrast Liam was born five weeks early, leaving mum Debbie surprised and, eventually, pleased.

She added: “The hospital said 'I'm afraid you're going to have him today' and I said 'can't we hang on' but they said no.

“Now I realise it's special - I've even got him a two-year-old birthday card!”

Is your birthday special? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich IP4 1AN or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk.

Popping the question on a leap year? See pages 20 and 21.

Leap years

A leap year is a year containing an extra day in order to keep the calendar year synchronised

A year which is not a leap year is called a common year

In the Gregorian calendar, the current calendar in most of the world, most years that are divisible by four are leap years.

In a leap year, the month of February has 29 days instead of 28 to compensate for the fact that a solar year is almost 6 hours longer than 365 days

People born on February 29 are sometimes called leaplings

Darren Ambrose, the former Ipswich Town player, was born on February 29, 1984

In the English speaking a world it is a tradition that women may make a marriage proposal only in leap years