A Chester care home resident celebrating her 105th birthday has shared her secret to a long and happy life – enjoying lots of plum pudding! Alice Ellam, who resides at Care UK’s Deewater Grange on Chester Road, Huntington, is one of the home’s first residents to receive a Royal birthday card from both Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles III.
In honour of Alice’s milestone birthday, a celebration with balloons, banners and a delicious cake was organised by her family and Deewater Grange staff. One of eight children, Alice was born in Handbridge and has lived in the Chester area for most of her life.
She secured her first job at the Co-op as a teenager but when the war began in 1945, Alice began a new career riding her bike to people’s homes to check their electricity meters. Later, Alice met her sweetheart Eric and the pair were married for more than five decades. The couple had a daughter and a granddaughter.
Alice said: “The secret to marriage is give and take, and you can’t expect things to go your own way all the time.” Music lover Alice has lived at Deewater Grange since November 2023 and is known for her bubbly personality and great sense of humour.
She has a passion for television and particularly enjoys watching adaptations of Charles Dickens’ novels. She was thrilled to be surrounded by friends, family and team members as they came together to celebrate her momentous birthday.
When asked what her secret was to living a long life, she simply said: “Plum pudding!” Alice’s advice could be one to watch, as plums are known for their antioxidant properties and numerous health benefits, including maintaining healthy digestion, improving bone and brain health and lowering cholesterol.
Sally Cooper, home manager at Deewater Grange, said: “Alice is a very sociable lady who has many friends and always enjoys a chat. As a much-loved resident at Deewater Grange, it was wonderful to mark this tremendous milestone with her and hear her tasty advice for living a long and happy life. I think it’s time we all started eating more plum pudding!
“Everything we do is centred around our ethos of ensuring residents live active and fulfilling lives – and Alice’s 105th birthday celebration was no exception. It was lovely to see how happy she was to be surrounded by those closest to her on the day.”
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