Knaresborough woman celebrates 104th birthdayBoroughbridge resident receives 557 cards for her 103rd birthday

More than 550 cards have been sent to a Boroughbridge resident as she celebrated her 103rd birthday.

Marjorie Spiking, who lives at Borougbridge Manor care home, was inundated with greetings after staff appealed for cards from the community, with a story appearing on the Stray Ferret last month.

They hoped to receive 103 to match her age – but were overwhelmed by the 557 that came through the door from across the country.

Asked about the secret to a long life, Marjorie said:

“Plenty of biscuits and lots of tea.”

Marjorie marked the landmark occasion this week with a morning of pampering and fizz. A tea party was held in her honour at the home, with freshly-made cupcakes from Sunflower Bakery in the town.

She said:

“I have had a wonderful day, thank you to everyone for creating a special day for me.”

Mark Hurst, general manager of Barchester Boroughbridge Manor, added:

“We’re delighted to be celebrating a truly remarkable woman as she reaches this amazing milestone. Marjorie is such a popular resident who always has an interesting tale to tell, and we look forward to hearing many more.”

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Care home appeals for 103 cards to mark Marjorie’s milestone birthday

A care home in Boroughbridge is appealing for help to make a resident’s birthday extra special this month.

Marjorie, who lives at Boroughbridge Manor on Roecliffe Lane, will turn 103 on November 23.

Its staff are asking for people from far and wide to send birthday cards for her, with an ambitious target in mind.

Posting on social media, the home said:

“We are trying to obtain at least 103 cards.

“We are calling upon our local community, families, visitors and people far and wide to help celebrate this amazing milestone.”

The care home, owned by Barchester, first put out the call for cards in August – having previously found cards would still be arriving long after a birthday if they appealed nearer the time.

Staff this week said they had received almost 70 cards to date and were hopeful of reaching their milestone by the time of Marjorie’s birthday.

Cards can be sent to: Activities Team, Boroughbridge Manor Care Home, Roecliffe Lane, Boroughbridge, YO51 9LW.

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Business Breakfast: Harrogate estate agency expands after record year

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

Demand for new homes has driven a sales rise of more than 50% in the last year for a Harrogate estate agency.

Linley and Simpson is now planning to expand its land and new homes department to cover the whole of Yorkshire and the Humber from its 23 offices.

The company achieved a record-breaking £75m of new home sales in just one year, representing two in three of its overall sales.

David Waddington, the agency’s director of land and new homes, said:

“Having grown into the largest land and new homes agent in the area, we now have a strong launch pad for taking our services to house builders in new territories.

“Developers can draw upon our team’s 130 collective years’ sales and marketing expertise in this sector, as well as take advantage of an aligned and connected branch network, which is set to expand further in 2022 and beyond.

“It will also enable us to consolidate our position as the number one go-to agent on the property portals for land and new home stock.”

The company attributes growth in the sector to high demand following the covid pandemic, especially for family homes in rural areas. Rising energy bills are also prompting people to seek more efficient homes.

Demand continues to be high, with 306 new homes sold in the last year, up from 211 in the previous 12 months. The average price of a new home has also risen from £354,714 to £425,834 in the same period.

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Senior carer rewarded for decade of service

A care home in Boroughbridge has recognised the long service of one of its senior carers.

Leoni Senior started as a carer at Boroughbridge Manor in 2012 before working her way up to a senior role.

Her 10 years’ service with the firm were marked with a gift of flowers and jewellery.

Avril Bowyer, deputy general manager of Boroughbridge Manor, said:

“We’re delighted to be celebrating 10 years of loyal service with Leoni. She has demonstrated her dedication and loyalty to this home and its residents year after year.

“I speak for all of us here at Boroughbridge Manor when I say that I’m looking forward to many more years of working with Leoni.”

Jane McFarlane, employee services director at Barchester, which runs the home, added:

“I’m always pleased to hear stories about the long service of Barchester staff and am delighted Leoni has achieved this milestone.

“It is dedication like this that ensures our residents are provided with a happy place to live.”

Boroughbridge care home turned into Graceland for Elvis-themed day

Residents at Boroughbridge Manor care home were all shook up this weekend when their home was turned into Graceland for an Elvis-themed day.

To honour what would have been the king of rock and roll’s 86th birthday on Saturday, staff and residents enjoyed a day of music, fun and dancing.

Residents found out some interesting facts about Elvis that they hadn’t heard before, watched a short biography about the singer and listened to some of Elvis’ hits.

Nancy, a resident, said:

“I loved Elvis growing up. Listening to all his old hits has brought back so many memories.  We’ve all had a brilliant time reminiscing about our dance hall days!”

General manager Neil Todd said:

“Lots of our residents are big Elvis fans and love his music. We’ve had a fantastic day listening to all his hits, finding out about his early life and what influenced him and watching old Elvis movies, he was such an incredible talent.

“This afternoon we had an Elvis quiz, it is amazing how many songs he recorded. We all surprised ourselves by how many we remembered!”

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