A pair of centenarian friends were the centre of attention at a joint party to celebrate their birthdays.
Beryl Shirley, 100, and Kay Karnehm, 101, welcomed family members and other guests to their care home, Colten Care’s Kingfishers in New Milton, Hampshire, and were happy to share their secrets of a long life.
Born in Croydon in 1926, Beryl, a former office worker at the Met Police, said: “Be optimistic, have a busy social life and always be kind.”
A mother of two daughters, and a grandmother, she added: “I feel very grateful reaching 100, it makes me appreciate the small things even more.”
Kay, who has lived at Kingfishers for two and half years, was born in London in 1925 and spent her working life as a secretary for the Cadbury chocolate company.
Her recipe for longevity is: “Work, work, work.”
And asked for her thoughts on being a centenarian, Kay said: “It feels like I’m carrying a lifetime of memories. Some are sad, some are happy days, but they’re all part of who I am today.”
The Kingfishers team ensured both ladies each had the birthday cake of their choice, baked specially by chefs at the home: a lemon drizzle for Kay and a Victoria sponge with strawberries and cream for Beryl.
Kay’s birthday wish was to hear some live music so Kingfishers Companion and singer Imogen Doherty performed renditions of favourites such as Somewhere Over The Rainbow, Edelweiss, White Cliffs of Dover and We’ll Meet Again.
Imogen said: “We all worked together to ensure the afternoon was very special for these two remarkable ladies. To finish off, we all sang Happy Birthday in unison and shared a toast to our centenarians.”
Both Beryl and Kay expressed thanks to all those involved in staging the celebration. “It was such a lovely birthday,” commented Beryl, while Kay said: “Thank you for making my birthday so special.”
