101-year-old Heather View resident takes a trip down memory lane

Home news

Oct 28, 2016

A local care home has celebrated the 101st birthday of popular resident, by taking her on a trip down memory lane – including a visit to her old school.

Born in Best Beech in 1915, Alice Ashby celebrated the impressive milestone earlier this month and the Care UK team at Heather View wanted to make it a birthday to remember.

Andrea Butler, lifestyle coordinator at Heather View, said: “Alice had expressed that she would love to visit the War Memorial in Wadhurst and the surrounding area one more time.

So my colleague and I - with a minibus at our disposal - decided to make this happen for her.”

First on Alice’s trip down memory lane was Mark Cross School where she was educated until the age of 14 when she left to go to work. The children at the school presented Alice with birthday cards and flowers and shared stories about their time at Mark Cross.

Alice then travelled to Wadhurst town and to the memorial where she enjoyed some personal time for reflection, before visiting her old home, a cottage in Best Beech where she had lived for most of her life.

Alice returned to Heather View and was joined by family members, friends and residents to continue the celebrations.

Trish Banks, home manager at Heather View, said: “We always like to make an occasion of birthdays and Alice’s 101st birthday is no exception. Alice has lived in the area for all of her 101 years so it was lovely to be able to take her to the places she remembered so fondly – even if they have changed quite drastically over the last century!”