105-year-old Chester care home resident shares tasty secret to long life

 

A 105-year-old Chester care home resident has shared her advice for living a long and happy life – enjoying lots of plum pudding.

Alice Ellam, a resident at Care UK’s Deewater Grange, on Chester Road, shared her mouthwatering advice to mark the latest milestone of her centenarian status, while celebrating with those nearest and dearest to her. At the ripe age of 105, she is one of the first residents at the home to have received a royal birthday card from both Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles III. 

In honour of Alice’s milestone birthday, a lively celebration with balloons, banners and a delicious cake was organised by her family and team members at Deewater Grange.

One of eight children, Alice was born in Handbridge on 13th December 1919, and has lived in the Chester area for most of her life. She secured her first job at the Co-op as a teenager, but when the war began in 1945, Alice began a new career riding her bike to people’s homes to check their electricity meters. 

Later, Alice met her sweetheart Eric and the pair were married for more than five decades. The couple were blessed with a daughter and a granddaughter. 

Alice said: “The secret to marriage is give and take, and you can’t expect things to go your own way all the time.”

Music lover Alice has lived at Deewater Grange since November 2023 and is known for her bubbly personality and great sense of humour. She has a passion for television and particularly enjoys watching adaptations of Charles Dickens’ novels. She was thrilled to be surrounded by friends, family and team members as they came together to celebrate her momentous birthday. 

When asked what her secret was to living a long life, she simply said: “Plum pudding!” 

Alice’s advice could be one to watch, as plums are known for their antioxidant properties and numerous health benefits, including maintaining healthy digestion, improving bone and brain health and lowering cholesterol. 

Sally Cooper, Home Manager at Deewater Grange, said: “Alice is a very sociable lady who has many friends and always enjoys a chat. 

“As a much-loved resident at Deewater Grange, it was wonderful to mark this tremendous milestone with her and hear her tasty advice for living a long and happy life. I think it’s time we all started eating more plum pudding! 

“Everything we do is centred around our ethos of ensuring residents live active and fulfilling lives – and Alice’s 105^th birthday celebration was no exception. It was lovely to see how happy she was to be surrounded by those closest to her on the day.”

Deewater Grange is a state-of-the-art care home which provides full-time residential, dementia and nursing care. The home has been designed to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives, while also promoting independence, and incorporates space for hobby and leisure activities, including its own café, bar, cinema, and a hair and beauty salon. 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.