‘Keep active’ – Local care home resident reveals secret to long life on 100th birthday

A resident at a care home in Cardiff celebrated his 100^th birthday and shared the secret to a long and happy life.

A very special birthday party took place at Care UK’s Llys Cyncoed, on Cyncoed Road, when resident Ray John celebrated his 100^th birthday in style. He also revealed his secret to longevity, which is “a combination of healthy eating and keeping active”.

 

To mark the big day, the team decorated one of the home’s lounges with balloons and banners, Ray’s family and friends all came along, and the home’s chef laid on a special buffet for everyone to enjoy. 

Ray was born on 30^th April 1923 in Cardiff. He travelled abroad extensively during his time in the Royal Navy, including to South Africa and Mauritius. After the Second World War, Ray resumed his position as an engineer with the General Post Office. He later became Senior Telecoms Superintendent when British Telecom was formed.

Ray has been heavily involved in community and charity work for most of his life. In the 1950s he organised social dances at Cardiff City Hall which proved extremely popular in South Wales. Ray became treasurer of the League of Friends at the University Hospital of Wales in the 1970s and organised fundraising events at the hospital as well as summer fetes on Heath Park.

Ray was also involved with Cardiff North Opportunity Housing Trust which provided respite accommodation for adults with learning difficulties, and was a Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinator. 

In the early 1990s, Ray, a founder member of the Heath Residents’ Association, became Chairman, a position he held for 15 years. He liaised with University Hospital of Wales, over issues such as the expansion of buildings on the site and local parking issues. As a result, Ray was invited to cut the ribbon at the opening ceremony of the slip road leading from UHW out on to Eastern Avenue.

Ray married Lorna in 1958 and they had 2 children together. 

Virgil Frincu, General Manager at Llys Cyncoed, said: “It was a joy to help Ray celebrate this tremendous occasion as he is a cherished resident at Llys Cyncoed. It was wonderful to hear more about his achievements throughout his long life, including his community and charity work to support those in the local area. 

“Our ethos here at Llys Cyncoed is to enable residents to have fulfilling lives, and we are always excited to celebrate important milestones such as this. It was a pleasure to raise a glass in Ray's honour on his 100th birthday.”

Designed to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives, while also promoting independence, Llys Cyncoed incorporates space for hobby and leisure activities. The building has been configured into a series of neighbourhoods to help facilitate the creation of close-knit communities and encourage social interaction among the residents.

To find out more information about Llys Cyncoed, contact Director of Community Relations at Llys Cyncoed, Elisabeth May, on elisabeth.may@careuk.com, call 02920 001689 or visit: careuk.com/ /llys-cyncoed