‘Surround yourself with animals’ – Local care home resident reveals secret to long life on 101st birthday

A resident at a care home in Basingstoke celebrated her 101^st birthday by sharing the secret to a long and happy life. 

A very special birthday celebration took place at Care UK’s Dashwood Manor, on Bradley Way, when resident Annie Gargaro celebrated her 101^st birthday in style, revealing her secret to longevity is to “enjoy life every day, to create your own happiness and surround yourself with animals”. 

 

To mark the big day, the team decorated the home’s bistro area with balloons and banners, and the home’s talented chef baked a special birthday cake for everyone to enjoy. 

Annie was born on the 24^th of March 1922 in Berlano, Scotland, and is very proud to say she is Scottish. She lived on a small village farm and grew up surrounded by horses, cows and chickens. 

Annie started work at the age of 17 as a secretary and hated it, “it was boring”. Annie then worked in a biscuit factory and will never forget how she secretly ate the biscuits on the job – she really enjoyed working there! 

Annie met her husband Michael when she was 17 and they were married for 74 years. They had an extremely happy marriage, and she revealed their secret was to “live for the other”. They had five children together, three boys and two girls. Annie now has 10 grandchildren and says family is also” very important” to living a long life. 

Later in life, Annie enjoyed visiting Italy every year for a couple of weeks. She loved the country and thought it was beautiful, and always enjoyed being in the sunshine. 

Annie moved from Scotland 10 year ago to live closer to her son. 

At Dashwood Manor, animal lover Annie enjoys the regular animal visits that the team organise, including the recent Dog Café. 

Annie commented: “My secret to living a long and happy life is to enjoy life every day, to create your own happiness and to surround yourself with animals. 

“I am from a big family, and we lived on a village farm. I was very happy there surrounded by the animals.” 

Dil Perera, Home Manager at Dashwood Manor, said: “Annie is a ray of sunshine here at Dashwood Manor, and it was wonderful to help her to celebrate this impressive milestone.

“We work hard to support residents to lead fulfilling lives here at Dashwood Manor, and marking special occasions and birthdays plays a huge part in this. We love any excuse to celebrate the fantastic people living here and Annie’s birthday was no exception. 

“Annie is a much-loved resident at the home, and we are privileged to have her as part of our Dashwood Manor family. Happy Birthday to you Annie!”

Designed to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives, while also promoting independence, the new care home, which opened in September 2021, incorporates space for hobby and leisure activities. Luxury facilities includes a café, hair and beauty salon, cinema and bar, and stunning gardens.

To find out more about Dashwood Manor, please call Customer Relations Manager, Leahanne Wilkinson, on 01256 805988, or email leahanne.wilkinson@careuk.com

For more information about Dashwood Manor, visit: careuk.com/Dashwood-Manor