Kathleen celebrates her centenary birthday in style

Kathleen, who has lived in her Raven home in Epsom for 34 years, marked her 100th birthday with a trip to the races with her family and a new frock!

In addition to her telegram from The Queen for reaching this momentous milestone, we presented her with some flowers on behalf of all at Raven.

Looking back on her long and full life, Kathleen said the highlights had been having her daughter Christine, who has now sadly passed away, two granddaughters, Naomi and Samantha, plus a great granddaughter, Lily.

She moved to the area originally because her husband, Alfred, was a professional footballer in the 1930 and 1940s, playing centre half for Fulham and Leeds United.

He has since passed away but he instilled a passion for horse racing into Kathleen, who still has a keen interest in the sport.

“I love my horse racing so I celebrated my birthday with my family and friends at a posh do at Epsom Racecourse and I had a new frock for the lunch,” Kathleen said.

She was really looking forward to spending time with her family as they hadn’t all been together for two years because of the pandemic.

Kathleen added that over the years Raven had always been very helpful when she had needed repairs to her home. She is now supported through Raven’s outreach support service (known as SOS), which supports older people like Kathleen to live independently in their homes.

“My support co-ordinators Emily and Linda have been a great help to me. Emily gives me a welfare call every morning to check I am ok,” she added.

And the secret to a long life according to Kathleen?

“Don’t overdo anything and be definite about what you are doing. Always believe in yourself and be grateful to those who do things for you.”

Wise words from Kathleen. We’re delighted she had such a fabulous day at the races with her family celebrating by her side.