CARE HOME CALLS ON COMMUNITY TO SEND CARDS FOR RESIDENT’S 103RD BIRTHDAY

Oak Lodge Bupa Care Home is calling on the Southampton community to send resident, Frances Gatland, birthday cards to celebrate her 103rd birthday on Saturday 15th February.

Oak Lodge is hoping the local community will lean in to honour and recognise a much loved resident reaching a milestone age.

Carers at Oak Lodge are planning a special tea party at the home, with all the residents and Frances’ family. They plan to treat her like royalty for the day by decorating the home with balloons, wearing King Charles and Queen Camilla masks, and using the homes’ finest china for the tea party!

Lord Mayor of Southampton, Cllr Valerie Laurent and Local MP, Darren Paffey, will also be joining the celebrations.

Commenting on her forthcoming milestone birthday, Frances said: “I’m looking forward to celebrating my 103rd birthday with all my friends and family. They always make a fuss of people on their birthday at Oak Lodge, so it should be a very special and memorable day.

“It was always my dream to reach 100 years old, and now I will be 103!” Frances has been a resident at Oak Lodge since 2020. She was born in Sutton Ashfield and moved to Southampton in 1928 when she was four years old. Frances started her working life in a tobacco factory, followed by a stint as a convalescent, caring for people as they recovered from an illness. During the second world war, Frances worked on the spitfires in Hamble, before moving down to Butlocks Heath to take care of her three children, Richard, Diane, and Christopher, fulltime.

Frances has many interests, including horses, music, the Southampton Concert Orchestra, socialising, and spending time with her family. Home Manager at Oak Lodge Bupa Care Home, Corin Ridout, comments: “We are calling on the local community to join us in celebrating Frances 103rd birthday. We plan to decorate her room with all the cards she receives.

“At Oak Lodge we love celebrating each one of our residents’ birthdays, and 103 is an absolutely phenomenal occasion, so we are going above and beyond to plan a fabulous celebration which we hope Frances will enjoy.”

If you would like to send Frances a card, please address it to: Oak Lodge Bupa Care Home 45, Freemantle Common Road, Bitterne, Southampton SO19 7NG.

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