Kitty is a remarkable lady who celebrates her 109th birthday on the 5th Feb.

Born in 1934, one of 5 children they lived in Kensington, London moving to Stoke Poges during the War. She remembers the blackouts when she was a child. As a family they played games during this time when they could, other times it would have to be spent in a room in complete darkness. She remembers spending some of her youth going to dances with friends.

Her family later moved to Gerrards Cross where she met her husband and married at 20 years. She raised 3 children one boy and two girls. Kitty was a housemaid in grand houses during her younger years. As she settled into family life, she also had a job working in the local Woolworths. The family spent holidays in a caravan in Swanage with fond memories of fish and chips on the seafront.

If you ask Kitty what the secret is to a long healthy life, she doesn’t really know what she has done differently to any other person. She said she always cooked fresh food, had a healthy diet, and rode a bicycle everywhere for many years. She also enjoyed the occasional glass of Guinness. She has so many fond memories of living in Gerrards Cross, cycling herself around carrying her fresh ingredients from all the independent shops years ago. She loved to cook from basics, especially remembering ‘Fish Friday’ when she would collect fish from the local fishmonger. So, maybe the moral behind the story is eat healthy and ride a bike around town into your ‘90’s’!

Kitty has 4 grandchildren, 11 great grandchildren and great, great grandchildren.

Birthday celebrations will begin at Swarthmore Residential Care home where staff and residents will enjoy afternoon tea together on Friday. Her family are planning to take her out and spend some time together over the weekend.

Wishing you a very happy birthday from Everyone at Swarthmore Residential Care Home