A Cadbury’s Dairy Milk a day – the secret to living a long life, told by Quorn centenarian

 

A care home resident in Quorn celebrated a special milestone at the home’s annual carnival.

Gwen Nunney celebrated her 100^th birthday at Care UK’s Lonsdale Mews, on Farley Way, with family, friends and the community at the home’s carnival extravaganza. 

Gwen was born in Leicester on 16^th August 1924 and is the eldest of three sisters. She began her career working as a comptometrist at Wadkin Ltd in Leicester in 1940, before she met her husband Victor in 1942. They married in Leicester 12 years later, on 11 November 1954.

Together, they have two children, Peter and Susan, two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. 

In her younger years, Gwen was a keen horse rider, and often visited at a farm in Uppingham. Now at Lonsdale Mews, Gwen enjoys gardening, walking, tapestry and crosswords. She’s also well-known for having a sweet tooth – she describes having Cadbury’s Dairy Milk every day as ‘one of her main loves in life’. Upon hearing Gwen’s very unusual secret to living a long life, the team at Cadbury’s sent her a host of chocolate goodies as a present. 

To mark her milestone birthday, Gwen was also joined by the entire Quorn community as part of Lonsdale Mews’ annual carnival. 

On the day, guests enjoyed fruit cocktails from a Tikki bar, live music from singer Charlotte Beaver and a special dance performance from AMC Dance School, as well as a raffle. Homemade popcorn, ice cream and sweet treats were served, with an impressive 100-themed chocolate birthday cake as the finale.

When asked for her advice to the younger generation, Gwen said: “Get outside and enjoy the outdoors as much as you can!”

Tony Sturgess, Home Manager at Lonsdale Mews said: “Celebrating residents’ milestones is really important to us all at Londsdale Mews, and we always strive to make their special days memorable. 

“In Gwen’s case, that meant having the whole community join us as part of our annual carnival celebrations, which made it even more special. It was great to see the smiles on everyone’s faces –the event brought back many happy memories, not just for Gwen, but for all the residents, giving them a chance to share memories of carnival days from the past. 

“We want to thank everyone who was involved in this special day. Let’s all give three cheers to Gwen!” 

Lonsdale Mews offers full-time residential and dementia care, as well as short-term respite. The home incorporates space for hobby and leisure activities and includes its own cinema, hairdressing salon and café. 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.