Chingford care home resident reveals the secret to youthful skin on 103rd birthday

 

A 103-year-old Chingford care home resident has revealed her secret to a youthful appearance – “Forget face creams, only use water to wash your face!”

Victoria Antoniou, a resident at Care UK’s Ivy Grove on Hatch Lane, shared her top beauty advice to mark her 103^rd birthday, while celebrating with those nearest and dearest to her. Victoria added that always having her family around her was also “key” to reaching over 100 years old. 

In celebration of Victoria’s milestone birthday, a surprise party was organised by the team at Ivy Grove alongside her friends and family, with a birthday cake prepared by the home’s Head Chef. 

Born on the 14^th November 1921 in a village called Kalopsia in Cyprus, Victoria had always been a hardworking family woman. As a young mother of seven children, she would often travel on a donkey to neighbouring villages to sell clothing to support her children. 

Victoria married her husband Antonis in 1938, and together they moved to London in 1960, where she worked in the canteen at Whipps Cross Hospital. Today, Victoria has 25 grandchildren and an impressive 61 great-grandchildren – who regularly visit Victoria at Ivy Grove. 

Jacob Mante, General Manager at Ivy Grove, added: “We were so excited to celebrate such a joyous day with Victoria. As a much-loved resident at Ivy Grove, it was wonderful to mark this tremendous milestone with her and all her family. 

“Here at Ivy Grove, everything we do centres around our ethos of ensuring residents live active and fulfilling lives – and Victoria’s 103^rd birthday celebration was no exception. It was lovely to see how happy she was to be surrounded by those closest to her on her special day.”

Designed to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives; while also promoting independence, Ivy Grove incorporates space for hobby and leisure activities. The layout of the building has been configured to help facilitate the creation of close-knit communities and encourage social interaction among residents.