Freda Keeps Dancing As She Celebrates 106 Birthday At Weymouth Care Home

A Weymouth care home residents says that dancing is the secret to reaching her 106 birthday.

The team at Buxton House care home arranged for Weymouth School of Ballet and Theatre Arts to perform for Freda and her family as part of her celebrations for her big birthday. She also received a visit from her daughter, Linda, and her grandchildren and great grandchildren as well as the Deputy Mayor of Weymouth, Caroline Nickinson.

Speaking about her 106 birthday, Freda said:
“It was a lovely day with all my relatives. The staff are very nice at Buxton House.”

Asked what the secret is to reaching 106, Freda added: “I have always done plenty of walking, exercise, gardening, and dancing. From around age 12, I did chorus dancing for around four years. I also did ballroom dancing all my life and used to go to competitions. I love all styles of dancing.

“I met my husband, Charlie, in the ance hall. It was love at first sight. He asked me to dance when I was around 19 and he was 27. He was in the Royal Engineers and went to war on D-Day. He was building a bridge in Germany and a bomb blew him into the canal. He was sent to Oxford Infirmary where he stayed for two years. He only met our daughter, Linda, when she was three months old.”

Lauren Taylor, Home Manager for Buxton House, said:
“Freda is an incredible lady who has been living at home with her daughter, Linda, until she moved into Buxton House a few weeks before her 106 birthday. She is a joy to care for and loves to talk about her love of dance, so we wanted to treat her to a special birthday party with help from the children at Weymouth School of Ballet and Theatre Arts.  At Care South, we love to get to know the likes, dislikes and interests of our residents, so that we can help them to continue doing the things they enjoy, so it was lovely to enable Freda to keep dancing surrounded by others who share her passion.”