Sidmouth: Care home residents aged over 100 share their stories

Doveleigh Care, a care home company with three homes in Sidmouth, Seaton, and Colyton, is proud to be able to cater for three people over the age of 100. Its centenarians include Peggy and Mary, who are both 101 years old, and Edith, who is 100.

Peggy

Peggy, who was born in 1921 in London, celebrated her 100th birthday with staff last year. She enjoyed her birthday cake and was very proud to receive a card from the queen.

Peggy served in the RAF during the Second World War as a lorry driver, mainly based in Wales, delivering airmen to their planes.

Now, she enjoys the food at Dove Court Care Home, reading romantic books, and keeping a daily diary that she writes in after breakfast. She also likes to watch videos and look at pictures of the countryside and different places in the world on the iPad.

Mary

Mary, centre, celebrating her 101st birthday (Doveleigh Care)

Mary, who was born in 1921 in North Wales, celebrated her 101st birthday at Arcot House in Sidmouth this year.

She has been a resident there for 3 years and is very comfortable and content there. She likes all the staff and really appreciates the care she is receiving.

Mary is very sociable so, despite problems with sight and hearing, she still enjoys the company of other people, as well as activities, visits and outings.

At 16, Mary won a scholarship to The Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, where she studied singing and piano, with the aim of becoming an opera singer.

During the Second World War however, she met up with her childhood sweetheart Les, then a decorated RAF Lancaster pilot, by chance.

They married in 1944. Les survived the war and became a commercial pilot and later became Chief Pilot of British Airways Europe.

Mary became a housewife and a mother to two daughters, then granny to four, and now, great-nan to eight, who all keep in touch with her with visits, outings, and via Zoom. 

In their 60s, while they were fit and well, Mary and Les had lots of holidays travelling around the world to countries including Canada, USA, Australia, New Zealand, China, Japan and cruises to Norway and Alaska.

After retirement, they moved to Brownlands Road in Sidmouth.

They both played golf at Sidmouth Golf Club, and were well known at All Saints' Church.

Mary sang soprano with Sidmouth Choral Society until she was 90. They loved living in the town and made lots of friends.

In September of 2018, they were interviewed at home by Johnny Rutherford on BBC Spotlight TV to celebrate their 75th wedding anniversary.

Mary and Les were married and in love for 77 years before Les passed away in 2020. She misses him still.

Edith

Edith with great-grandson (Doveleigh Care)

Edith, who was born in 1922 in Halifax, West Yorkshire, celebrated her 100th birthday this year enjoying a lemon cake with friends and family at Dove Court.

Her family came over from France for the occasion, and she was able to meet her very first great-grandson – who is 100 years her junior.

She enjoys the food at the care home, alongside the activities and walking around the garden.

Edith cutting the cake (Doveleigh Care)

Edith said: "I enjoy walking around the garden, I say to staff: 'I'm off on my daily exercise!'

"I am happy that I still feel fit as a fiddle.

"I remember staying at Whitley Bay in the war with my grandparents, they used to own a sweet shop and I used to help in the shop.

"I remember going dancing and wearing pretty dresses. When the siren went off, we had to go down to our cellar, but we had to be careful as that is where the coal was kept."

Edith also used to be a bookkeeper before she was married.

Doveleigh Care is a care home company based in East Devon. Each of its three care homes is rated 'Outstanding' by the Care Quality Commission and it has won numerous awards in recent years including 'National Care Home Group of the Year' in 2017, and has been rated one of the top care home providers in the country by website carehome.co.uk for seven years in a row.

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