Chester resident gives secret to long life on 100th birthday

Olive Westerman, from Deewater Grange, on Chester Road, marked the impressive milestone on 16th January, and was joined by residents and team members to toast the special occasion.

Revealing her secret to a long and happy life, Olive, who is well known at the home for her love of travelling and sense of humour, said: "Avoid talking to strange men and you’ll be just fine."

Enjoying the special day with a trip down to Inglewood Manor, the team went above and beyond to ensure Olive enjoyed a celebration to remember. Olive mentioned never having the chance to experience a high tea, so the team organised a private afternoon tea for Olive and her friends at Deewater Grange.

The home also continued the tradition that Olive’s husband Sam began of gifting Olive a bottle of Estee Lauder perfume on her birthday, to make this one extra special.

Olive enjoys her special birthday afternoon with friends from Deewater Grange. (Image: Deewater Grange)

Sally Cooper, Home Manager at Deewater Grange, said: "Everyone had a wonderful time celebrating Olive’s birthday, and she was particularly pleased to enjoy a very special afternoon tea.

"Olive has been living at Deewater Grange for just over a year now, and the home simply wouldn’t be the same without her. Olive’s wonderful outlook on life never fails to make us smile and her quick wit definitely keeps us on our toes!

"Here at Deewater Grange, we always strive to make an occasion of birthdays, and Olive’s 100th was no exception. We had a great day celebrating - thank you again to Inglewood Manor for having us and making the day so special!"

Olive was born in South Kirby, Yorkshire, in 1923. Attending Common Road Infant and Nursery School in South Kirby, Olive went on to go and work as a nursery nurse for children during the war for nine months.

Olive met her husband Sam at the local church she’d been going to all her life and the pair were married soon thereafter. The couple shared a lifetime of happy memories and Sam’s job as a clerk and a writer saw the pair travel all over the world, including living in Singapore for three years. The pair marked a number of special years of marriage together, before Sam sadly passed away.

Deewater Grange is a state-of-the-art home which provides full-time residential, dementia and nursing care. The home has been designed to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives. The layout of the building is configured into a series of individual suites, each having a dedicated lounge/dining room to help facilitate the creation of close-knit communities.