Singer serenades Mary during her 100th birthday party
A resident has celebrated her 100th birthday at a care home in Surbiton.
Mary was joined by a small number of family and friends for a party, organised by staff at Royal Star & Garter, on Thursday, 30 May.
And days later, the great-grandmother enjoyed a large family gathering at The Petersham Hotel in Richmond.
Royal Star & Garter provides living, compassionate care to veterans and their partners living with disability or dementia, from Homes in Solihull, Surbiton and High Wycombe. The charity has also launched new services reaching out into the community.
Mary was born in Bristol on 30 May, 1924. She was working as a comptometer operator when WWII broke out in 1939, and married her husband Roy, who was serving in the Navy, in April 1944, shortly before he took part in the D-Day landings.
After leaving the Navy, Roy worked in the Civil Service for the Admiralty, with the family moving around the country and living in Malta for three years.
After retiring, the couple settled in Bath, but Mary moved to London to be closer to her children after Roy died in 2014. She moved to Royal Star & Garter in 2023.
Staff at the Home threw a special 100th birthday party for Mary, with Royal Star & Garter favourite JP Christian invited to sing for her and other residents.
‘I enjoyed every moment’
The centenarian said: “The tea party at Royal Star & Garter was absolutely lovely, the Home pulled out all the stops. The party at The Petersham was also excellent. Both events were perfect and I enjoyed every moment.”
Royal Star & Garter in Surbiton is welcoming new residents. For more information on this, the new services it has launched, or to work at the Home, go to www.starandgarter.org/surbiton