29 January 2022
By Savannah Nicholson – Reporter Westmorland Gazette
A WOMAN celebrating her 101st birthday was inundated with hundreds of well wishes and birthday greetings from the community this week.
Heron Hill Care Home in Kendal pulled out all the stops to celebrate Florence Trudgill’s special birthday milestone on Wednesday, with colourful balloons, prosecco and lots of cake.
The home had put out an appeal to Kendalians asking for cards for Florence’s birthday and were ‘overwhelmed’ with the amazing response- receiving more than 350 cards.
Click on link to see newspaper article https://www.thewestmorlandgazette.co.uk/news/19882097.kendal-helps-heron-hill-care-home-celebrate-residents-birthday/
The former clerk also received lots of flowers- including a bunch from Station House Surgery-a personalised cake from ASDA, a gift box from Beetham Nurseries and received cards from Cumbria Police, scout groups, school children from Appletree School, Sandside Lodge and even online card company Moonpig.
She also received a handmade card from a woman in America who had seen the home’s Facebook post.
Florence started her day by having a zoom call with her niece on the Isle of Wight, followed by opening all her cards and gifts-which took all day according to care home manager Nicola Spedding.
“Florence could not thank everyone enough for all the love and kindness shown to her on her special day!” said Ms Spedding.
Florence, who joined the care home in December last year, grew up in Minehead, Somerset.
She was a member of the Girls Brigade, where her role was to complete the drills as sports instructor.
She then worked for a private solicitor’s company as a clerk before she met her husband, Douglas, during the war.
He was a sergeant in the Royal Engineers, and she did not see much of him for four years as he was posted abroad.
After the war the couple moved ‘up north’ as Douglas was originally from Lancaster.