Staff on the Royal Bournemouth Hospital’s Stroke Unit have been busy celebrating the 105th birthday of one of the hospital’s oldest ever patients.
Bournemouth resident Brenda Stockwell was presented with a cake by Ward Sister Nikki Manns and her team today to celebrate the momentous occasion.
Brenda was born in Lancashire in 1909 and over the years has travelled around Britain working in various roles, including for a tapestry company, a children’s home, Wentworth College and the Royal Mail during the war.
Brenda has lived in Bournemouth since 1940, and currently resides at The Bristowe on Grange Road, a family run nursing home where she has been a resident for 24 years.
She has outlived two husbands, and puts her long life down to taking two kelp tablets twice a day for 39 years, staying clear of alcohol and cigarettes and always eating her vegetables.
Brenda said: “The world has changed dramatically during my life. When I was younger we didn’t have cars or computers, and the world is so much more complicated with today’s technology.”
Brenda was also keen to praise the staff on the Stroke Unit: “The nursing staff and doctors here are fantastic. Everyone seemed to know it was my birthday and I have been sung ‘the song’ and presented with a lovely cake. They are extremely caring and thoughtful.”
Ward Sister Nikki Manns said: “Brenda is so lovely and such a character. By her appearance and by speaking to her you wouldn’t believe she is now 105, and the stories she tells us are fantastic.
“Treating patients like Brenda gives all of us a boost and she is such an inspiration.”
