“Good genes and hard work!” – the secret to a long life according to 100-year-old High Wycombe care home resident

 A 100-year-old High Wycombe care home resident has revealed her secret to living a long and happy life.

Daphne Farmer, a resident at Care UK’s Ridley Manor, on Lane End, marked her 100^th birthday on 3^rd May by revealing the secret to living a long life. 

Reflecting on her many happy years, Daphne shared that her secret to becoming a centenarian is “good genes and hard work!”

To mark the big day, Daphne’s family joined her at the home for a special celebration, and the team decorated the home with balloons and banners. The team arranged a special performance from Denis from Dc² Entertainment and Dance Company – much to Daphne’s surprise. 

Born in London, in 1924, Daphne later grew up in Marlow Bottom. Sadly, Daphne’s mother passed away when she was a child as was raised by nurses while her father went to work. Some of her favourite childhood memories were with her neighbour Mona who became a lifelong friend. When speaking about their special friendship Daphne said: “She was like family.” 

 In her younger years, she worked as a secretary and then later became an occupational therapist. 

Daphne has always been a social butterfly and took part in activities such as book club and exercise classes at the home because she loves gaining knowledge and trying new things.  

Commenting on the occasion, Daphne said: “Thank you for giving me such a happy birthday.  Everyone enjoyed themselves and the dancers were so good and a joy to watch, my family came from Lincolnshire and mixed well with friends from Marlow. I want to give my thanks to all the team who did the work.”

Estelle Adriaans, General Manager at Ridley Manor, said: “The birthday celebrations are certainly in full swing here at Ridley Manor! Daphne is a much-loved resident with many friends and thank you to Denis for making her day that much more special.  

“We work hard to support residents to lead fulfilling lives, and marking special occasions and birthdays plays a huge part in this. We love any excuse to celebrate the amazing people living here at Ridley Manor and Daphne’s birthday was no exception. Everyone had a wonderful time toasting her special day and listening to her share memories from her long, happy life. 

“We’re all incredibly privileged to have Daphne as part of the Ridley Manor family – and look forward to hearing more of her favourite memories over a cup of tea. Happy birthday, Daphne!”

Designed to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives, while also promoting independence, Ridley Manor incorporates space for hobby and leisure activities. The home provides full-time residential, nursing, dementia and respite care. The layout of the building is configured into a series of individual suites each having a dedicated lounge/dining room to help facilitate the creation of close-knit communities.