19
Jul 2024
Meet centenarian Sheila, our oldest subscriber
Among the subscribers to our new website and app is war veteran Sheila Pantin, who popped into our Harrogate town centre office to subscribe and pick up her free Stray Ferret mug.
Sheila, who is 100 years old, has lived in Harrogate since the 1970s after moving to the town to work at the Army Foundation College.
She has been reading the Stray Ferret since we launched in 2020, and likes to stay informed about local news and events. She also appreciated the Stray Ferret’s in-depth general election coverage and exclusive interviews with each of the parliamentary candidates in our local constituencies.
She said:
I do enjoy reading it. You keep us in touch with local events. I always have a paper and pen ready to write things down that are happening. I often go round the Valley Gardens on my scooter, so I like to know when there’s something on there.
In the news
Not only does Sheila enjoy reading the news, but she has appeared in it, too. On September 1 last year, she launched the Harrogate war memorial’s centenary commemorations as a war veteran just approaching her 100th birthday.
Sheila Pantin during the war and at the war memorial commemorations.
Born in Gargrave, near Skipton, Sheila spent much of her career in the army, having joined in 1940 when she was 17. She trained as an ambulance and staff car driver with the Auxiliary Territorial Service, the women's branch of the British Army. She was one of the first British service women to enter a German concentration camp in April 1945.
After the war, Sheila rose to the rank of sergeant and lived in places across the world such as Hong Kong, Belize and Northern Ireland. She left to have her daughter Helen in 1950, and later worked as a PE teacher before returning to the Army. She finished her career at the Foundation College in Harrogate, and has remained in the town ever since.
Oldest subscriber
Still very active and living independently, Sheila uses a mobility scooter to get around town. She attends St Peter’s Church every day and takes part in art classes at St Paul’s.
She attributes her long life to a combination of “swimming, deep breathing and The Lord.”
Stray Ferret owner Tamsin O’Brien said:
We have subscribers of all ages but Sheila is our oldest yet. It’s wonderful to know that has embraced modern technology and enjoys reading our news. It was lovely to see her come into the office to subscribe, collect her mug and to have a chat with her about her fascinating life.
We are here to report the news and document what happens in the area. Local journalism needs the support of everyone of all ages. It plays an important role in accurately and reliably telling everybody what's going on.
Please subscribe to the Stray Ferret; we need your support.
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