Double Celebrations for Milestone Birthdays at Local Care Home

A Northamptonshire care home has celebrated the lives of two its residents as they reach milestone birthdays.

Ashfield House, a care home in Raunds operated by Shaw healthcare, threw parties for two of its residents as they celebrated their 103rd and 102nd birthdays.

Ivy Foot, a former mechanic in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force during World War II who worked on Spitfires, Wellington bombers and Rolls Royce engines, turned 103-years-old on 31 May.

A resident at Ashfield House since 2015, Mrs Foot lived and grew up in East Ham, London, before moving to Raunds in 1990.

She was joined by fellow resident Margaret Tirebuck, a mother of three from Suffolk, who celebrated her 102nd birthday on 7 June.

Like Mrs Foot, Mrs Tirebuck worked on aeroplanes – she used to put the rivets in the wings of Haviland Halifax Bombers. She also had a lot of responsibility from the age of 14 after her mother passed away, meaning she had to dedicate her time to looking after her siblings and family.

The pair welcomed family and friends to their celebrations, which included cake, balloons and sharing fond memories.

Lizzie Plummer, manager of Ashfield House, said:
“Ivy and Margaret are two of our oldest residents. They are great personalities and often get involved with activities in the home.

“Margaret loves to knit and do crosswords on a daily basis, while Ivy said the secret to a long life is to stay active and work hard!

“We were really pleased to be able to put on such lovely celebrations for them both.”