Bournemouth, Health & Lifestyle | Posted on July 11th, 2025 | return to news

Bournemouth care home resident celebrates 100th birthday

A great-great-grandmother living in Great Oaks Care Home marked her 100th birthday with a tea party.

A Bournemouth care home resident has reached the milestone birthday of 100 years old.

Betty Tucker, who lives at the Great Oaks Care Home in Bournemouth, marked the occasion with a tea party with friends and family, with her birthday card from King Charles III and The Queen Consort taking pride of place.

The great-great-grandmother was born in Plymouth in 1925. She volunteered for the Women’s Royal Navy Service (WRNS) following the outbreak of the Second World War. She remained a ‘WREN’, supporting the war effort at home, until the war ended in 1945.

Later, Betty married Cyril and they were happily married for many years until his death.

Today, Betty has a large multi-generational family, with three grandchildren, six great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren.

Commenting on reaching her 100th birthday, Betty said: “I’ve no idea what the secret to a long life is, but I suspect having a busy and happy family life has kept me young.

“It’s also important to have something to look forward to each day and that, for me, is sewing. It was certainly a useful skill during the war years but now I sew for the enjoyment of it.”

Michelle Balsdon, home manager of Great Oaks, said: “Betty has only been at Great Oaks for a few months, but she is already a popular member of the Great Oaks family who manages to take a full and active part in life at the home.

“It has been lovely to celebrate this milestone birthday with her.”

Great Oaks is an 80-bed care home in Bournemouth in Dorset, providing dedicated residential, dementia, palliative, respite and nursing care.