Quorn care home residents share secrets to long lives on 100th, 101st and 102nd birthdays

A care home in Quorn has marked four remarkable milestone birthdays with a joyful afternoon tea celebration.

Betty Snape, 100, Gwen Nunney 101, Jean Sury, 102 and Mary Setchfield, 102, are residents at Care UK’s Lonsdale Mews, on Farley Way, and recently celebrated their special days by sharing life stories, laughter and a few secrets to longevity.

To mark the occasion, the home’s team members hosted an afternoon tea party complete with balloons, banners and delicious cakes.

Born in Wigan, Betty was the youngest of four girls and her life has been a testament to resilience and community spirit.

She married her husband Ron in Birmingham in 1948 and together they shared a love for gardening. Ron grew an abundance of vegetables and fruit, which Betty would freeze to last through the winter.

Her career at the rock factory in Southport saw her rolling out warm confectionery – a job she fondly remembers. Although she didn’t have children of her own, Betty and Ron often looked after their nieces and nephews during school holidays.

An active member of the Women’s Institute for many years, Betty’s hobbies include knitting and sewing – skills she has cherished throughout her life.

When asked her secret to a long life, Betty quipped: “Not having any children to look after,” adding: “you’ve just got to get on with it!”

Mary had a difficult start to life. She was born in Ypres, Belgium, in 1923 amid the rebuilding of the town following the devastating impact of the first world war. However, despite speaking no Flemish, and they no English, Mary remembers spending many happy hours outside playing with the neighbour’s children.

“We didn’t need words to have fun!” Mary said.

Mary moved to the UK in February 1939 and was joined by her sister the day before the beginning of the second world war.

“For the next few months, letters from home were the highlight of each week, especially when they contained new stamps,” Mary said.

On 15 May 1940, five days after Germany invaded Belgium, Mary’s parents joined her in the UK after managing to board a boat evacuating British troops. She spent the remainder of the war living in Peterborough with her aunt, while her parents returned to Ypres in 1946, so her father could resume his work, as a gardener, for the Imperial War Graves Commission.

During her birthday celebration, Mary recalled a poignant story from Ypres, where her family had strong ties to the local English church, that lacked funds for bells in its tower, so had to wait until 2017 when they were finally installed. She was delighted to visit the famous Bell Foundry in Swan Street, Loughborough – where the eight new ringing bells had been cast.

Mary’s professional life included working as a secretary in a railway office and teaching at Cossington and Barrow-upon-Soar Primary Schools. She married her husband, Bob, and together they raised three children and later enjoyed the company of eight grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren during their 66 years of marriage.

Mary shared that “a good, sensible diet” and “moderation in all things…most of the time” are her secrets to a long and happy life.

Gwen was born in Leicester on 16th August 1924 and is the eldest of three sisters. She began her career working as a comptometrist at Wadkin Ltd in Leicester in 1940, before she met her husband Victor in 1942. They married in Leicester 12 years later, on 11 November 1954.

She’s also well-known for having a sweet tooth – she describes having Cadbury’s Dairy Milk every day as ‘one of her main loves in life’. 

Jo Davison, Home Manager at Lonsdale Mews, said: “We were thrilled to celebrate Betty, Mary, Gwen and Jean’s  fantastic milestone birthdays here.

“It’s not every day you get to honour four centenarians, and their stories are truly inspiring. They both light up the home and it’s a privilege to share in these wonderful celebrations and commemorate the lives of four remarkable ladies.”

Lonsdale Mews offers full-time residential and dementia care, as well as short-term respite care. The home incorporates space for hobby and leisure activities and includes its own cinema, hair and beauty salon and pub. The layout of the building is configured into a series of individual suites, each having a dedicated lounge/dining room to facilitate the creation of close-knit communities.