A Killinghall care home resident celebrated her 105th birthday yesterday with a giant cake and more than 300 cards.
Nellie Prince, who was born during the First World War in 1915 and lived independently until the age of 103, now lives at Westfield House Care Home.
She is the home’s oldest resident, and her milestone has prompted debate about whether she is the oldest person in the Harrogate district.
Leah Dodd, the manager’s assistant at the home, came up with the idea of getting 105 cards for Nellie’s 105th birthday and approached the local primary school and community groups to make or send cards.
Her appeal caught the imagination and even appeared internationally, which led to more than 300 cards from places as far away as Canada and Malibu.
Leah, an expert cake maker, also made the huge cake for Nellie’s big day.
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Nellie was born in Leeds but moved to New Zealand as a young child.
She returned to the UK when she was 14 and worked as a housekeeper until the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 when she helped the war effort by making ammunition.
Nellie, who has never married, had various jobs after the war until she retired aged 60, which incredibly is 45 years ago.
Some of Nellie’s birthday cards.
Her earliest memory is of her and a friend, who were both poor eaters, being fed by her mum. The only way her mum could get them to eat was by saying, “one for Nellie, one for Stanley”.
Her secret of a long life? Good food and “no takeaway rubbish”!
