Ten amazing people aged 100 or more met in the same room at the same time for a remarkable centenarian celebration over afternoon tea.
The seven women and three men all live at Colten Care homes in the south and gathered for the unique get-together in a lounge at the provider’s Court Lodge home in Lymington, Hampshire.
Their combined ages meant that a full 1,005 years of life – five more than a millennium – were represented.
Joining six Court Lodge centenarian hosts were fellow Colten residents born in 1924 or before and now living at care homes in Salisbury, Bournemouth, Lymington and Brockenhurst.
After introducing themselves, the attendees shared stories from their long lives and spoke about their families, careers, interests, the care they receive today and how they feel about being centenarians.
Among those sharing early memories was 101-year-old Ula Rigg, who travelled to Lymington from Braemar Lodge in Salisbury where she has lived for the past two years.
Ula recounted how, as a five-year-old, she was chosen by her school to present a purse of money to the then Duchess of York, later the Queen Mother, who was making an official visit.
Ula, who was born in the Midlands and brought up in Bristol, passed round a photo of herself learning to curtsy before she met the famous royal and said: “As well as the curtsy I had to walk up four steps to the little platform where the Duchess was standing.
“I presented the purse and then to my utmost horror I nearly fell down the steps because I was so excited. I wanted to get back to my mum.”
With most of the group being great grandparents, there was considerable discussion of family life.
Ula was one of those who highlighted Skype and Facetime as means of staying in touch with children, grandchildren and great grandchildren here and across the world.
All of the group had their younger years impacted in one way or other by the Second World War.
Among her duties in a job at the Foreign Office in London, Court Lodge resident Iris ‘Margaret’ Honeyman worked on activities in support of the French Resistance. “It was a very challenging job, but I enjoyed it,” she said.
Former Royal Navy officer Boyd Salmon was just 18 when he was badly injured clearing enemy mines from a beach in The Netherlands in 1945.
After the war, Lymington-born Boyd became a Chartered Engineer, his profession until retirement.
Now living at Court Lodge, he says he “feels comfortable” and his care is “very good”.
Some of the group shared their ‘secrets of longevity’.
Ethel Wise, a former cook from Kent who lives at Avon Cliff in Bournemouth, said: “Hard work and a sense of humour.”
The advice from ex-nurse Diana Creasey, who lives at Woodpeckers in Brockenhurst and was a volunteer at Oakhaven Hospice for several years, is: “Keep active, follow a good diet and make sure to have lots and lots of fresh air.”
Court Lodge resident Eric ‘Richard’ Robinson, 100, said his secret was “never having smoked much and drinking very little alcohol”, adding: “When I was in the army, I gave my cigarettes and whisky away.”
Suggestions from others for a long life included chocolate, red wine, bananas, ‘staying calm and not getting heated about things’ and ‘staying away from men’, but the importance of family love and support was cherished most.
Asked how it feels to be a centenarian, Iris summed up the thoughts of several party guests, saying: “It feels no different but I do feel very proud to have made it to this age!”
Yorkshire-born Enid Docker, another Court Lodge resident, used to be a ballerina and ran her own ballet school for young children. She said: “Dancing was my passion, I love it.”
And on her life at Court Lodge now, Enid said: “I feel safe here, being 100 and still being alive feels nice.”
A specially made banner was displayed at the party highlighting that 100 years is the equivalent of: 1,200 months; 5,200 weeks; 36,500 days; 876,000 hours; 52,560,000 minutes; 3,153,600,000 seconds; 3,784,320,000 heartbeats; 894,000,000 blinks of the eyes; and 736,000,000 breaths.
Court Lodge Home Manager Rebecca Hannam said: “After they introduced themselves around the table, they really enjoyed chatting, getting to know each other and hearing about everyone’s lives and careers. It just goes to show that a great age is no barrier to making new friends.”
At the close of the party, each guest was presented with a 1924 penny farthing coin as a keepsake of the celebration.
