Ringwood Care Home Resident’s Secret To Reaching 107 Is Being Vegetarian

A Ringwood care home resident has credited being a lifelong vegetarian as the reason why she has celebrated her 107th birthday.

Nin, who lives at St Ives House in Ashley Heath, received a visit from the Deputy Mayor of Ringwood, Cllr Rae Frederick, and Simon Bird, Chief Executive of Care South, on her birthday on Thursday 11 April. She then went out for a pub lunch with her friends from the care home, her daughter, Jane, and son-in-law, Eric, followed by tea and birthday cake back at the care home.

Nin received bouquets of flowers and a range of cards to decorate her room. These included a card from King Charles and Queen Camilla which can be added to her collection of cards received from the King and his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, on Nin’s 100th, 105th, and 106th birthdays.

Nin says that the secret to reaching 107 is that she has been vegetarian all her life. She said: “I have never eaten meat. It’s not so much that I don’t like it. It’s more that I have never tried it.”

Speaking about her big birthday, Nin said: “Everybody has been so wonderful to me. When I woke up in the morning, I remembered that it was going to be a special day for me.”

Cllr Rae Frederick, Deputy Mayor of Ringwood, was thrilled to visit Nin on her birthday to wish her well. She brought a card and bouquet of orange tulips with her, which reminded Nin of a bridesmaid’s bouquet she had as a child.

Rae said: “It was incredible to see how happy and relaxed Nin was and to see how well the staff know her at St Ives House. It was a real honour to meet Nin on her 107 birthday.”

Emma Cotton, Home Manager at St Ives House, said: “We are so pleased that we could ensure that Nin had a special 107 birthday. She is loved by the whole team at the care home. At Care South, we love getting to know the individual likes and dislikes of the residents in our care and so it was great to help our oldest resident enjoy her birthday surrounded by family and friends.”