Joyce Snowdon was joined by three generations of family to celebrate her 100th birthday in style at Chalgrove, our care and nursing home in Poole.
The care home was adorned with streamers and balloons as residents, team members and family all came together to surprise Joyce with a day packed full of birthday cheer. The celebrations started when Chalgrove’s care workers Gwen Price and Asia Chudyba came in on their day off to treat Joyce to a relaxing two hour long make-over and luxurious pamper session (pictured below from left Gwen, Joyce and Asia).
Music and theatre fan Joyce, a keen ballroom dancer in her younger days, was entertained in the morning by Jitterbug Jive Group, even taking to the floor for a few steps herself. A celebratory buffet lunch, featuring a sumptuous cake created by Chalgrove’s talented Chef, was served up and followed by more musical entertainment featuring a Banjo performer in the afternoon. Joyce received a congratulatory 100th birthday card from HRH King Charles (pictured below), and enjoyed the day with son-in-law David and his partner Lynette, along with her grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Joyce said:
I’ve had a fantastic day, it was a lovely surprise and wonderful birthday with my friends and family all around me. Everyone joined in, and it was filled with music and couldn’t have been better.
Joyce, originally from Lewisham in London, trained as a short hand typist and married Ronald during the war in 1942 in Norwich. Ronald was in the RAF during the war and Joyce in the WAAF. After the war Joyce made cakes professionally and entered competitions with her scrumptious and beautiful cakes. The couple spent many years abroad in Rhodesia/Zimbabwe where Ronald worked selling fertilisers before returning to the UK and retiring to Verwood.
Chalgrove Care and Nursing Home Manager Paul Beasley said:
We’re always ready for a party at Chalgrove, so Joyce’s 100th birthday was an occasion we wanted to celebrate in some style. As a popular member of our community, Joyce was Queen of Chalgrove for the day, and it was a tremendous occasion that everyone enjoyed and will remember for a long time to come.
Chalgrove – our care and nursing home in Poole
Chalgrove Care and Nursing Home provides high-quality residential, nursing, dementia, respite, end-of-life and palliative care for older people.