Plenty of tea – the secret to a long life according to 100-year-old Newbury care home resident

A 100-year-old Newbury care home resident has revealed the secret to living a long and happy life.   

Winifred ‘Winnie’ Valentine Tigwell, from Care UK’s Winchcombe Place, on Maple Crescent, marked her 100^th birthday on 14^th February – sharing her middle name with her birthday. Reflecting on her many happy years, she revealed the secrets to a long life include “plenty of cups of tea and having a laugh”.

To celebrate the occasion, the talented chefs at Winchcombe Place prepared Winnie a special afternoon tea to share with her friends and fellow residents. To mark Winnie’s centenary year, the Mayor of Newbury, Councillor Gary Norman, also joined everyone for afternoon tea.

Commenting on her birthday, Winnie said: “I had a wonderful day – it was so lovely to have all my family with me and to meet the Mayor. I felt very special receiving a telegram from the King!”

Shirley Summerbell, Home Manager at Winchcombe Place, added: “We could certainly learn a lot from Winnie’s secrets to a long life – who doesn’t love a cup of tea! It was wonderful to listen to Winnie share her memories from her long life and to help celebrate such a momentous birthday.

“Here at Winchcombe Place, we work hard to support residents to lead fulfilling lives, and celebrating special occasions and birthdays plays a huge part in this. We love any excuse to celebrate the amazing people living here at Winchcombe Place and Winnie’s birthday was no exception. Everyone had a wonderful time eating a delicious afternoon tea, toasting Winnie’s life and we were delighted to welcome Councillor Gary Norman along to join the celebrations!

“Winnie is a much-loved resident at the home, she has an excellent sense of humour and is always making us laugh. We were honoured to raise a glass to her incredible life so far and are privileged to have her as part of our Winchcombe Place family.” 

Winnie, who is originally from Cirencester, Gloucestershire, grew up in the Cotswolds as one of ten siblings. Now, as she turns 100, Winnie has a large family surrounding her, with five grandchildren, eleven great-grandchildren and eight great-great-grandchildren.

After relocating to Newbury, Winnie began working as a cashier at the newly opened Sainsbury’s, where she quickly worked her way through the ranks to Checkout Manager – here, she became well-known among the community until she retired in 1980.

Once retired, Winnie spent a lot of time volunteering, including with the Royal Voluntary Service. For a number of years, Winnie ran the Tea Bar at the West Berkshire Magistrates Court, raising thousands of pounds for local charities. Now, Winnie enjoys pursuing her many hobbies including: gardening, walking, knitting, watching horse racing and baking.

Winchcombe Place is a state-of-the-art care home which provides full-time residential, nursing, dementia and short-term respite care. The care home incorporates space for hobby and leisure activities and includes its own cinema, hair salon and café.

To find out more about Winchcombe Place, call Customer Relations Manager, Vicki Lambourne, on 01635 783098, or email vicki.lambourne@careuk.com

For more general information, visit careuk.com/winchcombe-place