Kathleen celebrates her 101st birthday
It had to be a special cake for a very special birthday!
Kathleen Hannam celebrated her 101st birthday at Highcliffe Nursing Home (on Friday January 15) with a cake lovingly made by kitchen assistant Scott Smith and decorated by wellbeing coordinator Maddie Banica.
Staff at the Kingsley Healthcare run home in Stuart Road, Highcliffe, sang Happy Birthday as she opened her cards and presents.
Born in Plaistow, East London, in 1920, Kathleen was the only child of a dock worker and a teacher. The family moved to Romford when she was 10 and it was there that she met Ken, her husband to be, whose family lived in the house at the bottom of the garden.
At the age of 16 she started working at Friends Provident in London. She and Ken married in 1946 and moved to Gidea Park. Romford, where they lived until 1980.
During that time Kathleen worked for London Borough of Havering in their electoral registration department.
After a short spell in Clacton on Sea they moved to Highcliffe in 1984, initially living in a bungalow with a large garden and latterly in a flat with a sea view. Ken died in 2012 shortly after celebrating their 67th wedding anniversary.
Kathleen and Ken spent many happy holidays together, mostly in Austria and Italy. After Ken’s death she decided she would like to revisit some of their favourite places. She had another four holidays in Austria, the last one at the age of 96.
If asked to share the secret of such a long life, she would undoubtedly say daily helpings of ice cream and generous quantities of chocolate!
Find out more about Highcliffe nursing home
