Former Headmistress Celebrates 100th Birthday at Ash Tree House Care Home!

Dorothy Bastable has celebrated her milestone 100th birthday with the help of the dedicated care team at Ash Tree House care home in Wigan. Dorothy, who is a former headmistress of Welling Central school in Kent, believes the secret to a long and happy life is to treat others as they treat you and always act with patience and kindness.

Dorothy was born and raised in Wigan and has many fond memories of her time attending school as a child, with her favourite subjects being maths and English. Dorothy loved to sing in the choir, where she made many friends and learnt to play the Piano and Violin. Dorothy was so inspired by her teachers that she chose to train as a teacher herself, specialising in early education and eventually accepting a role as headmistress. Dorothy said, ‘I believe working with children is one of the most rewarding careers and I have very fond memories of my time working at the school’.

To mark her milestone birthday, Dorothy enjoyed a buffet-style afternoon tea with some of her closest friends before being surprised by a very special guest, local Councillor, Chris Ready, who personally delivered Dorothy’s telegram from the Queen, which now has pride of place in her bedroom.

Dorothy received deliveries of flowers, balloons and presents including a homemade cake iced with a picture of herself, which she found very amusing!

Lifestyle Manager at Ash Tree House, Lorraine Harris, organised the celebrations. She said, ‘Working in the care industry is such a rewarding career and being involved in monumental celebrations such as 100th birthdays is a huge privilege. I am thrilled Dorothy enjoyed her birthday and felt truly special, she is such a wonderful lady and completely deserves it’.

Dorothy said, ‘I have been blown away by everything the team have put together for me today! It was brilliant to meet Councillor Chris Ready and receive my card from the Queen – I will cherish it forever. My family and friends have also been wonderful and I feel incredibly sentimental over how much effort everybody has put in! – Thank you to everyone!’.

Home Manager, Chris Durnan, said, ‘It is incredibly important to us to make sure each resident feels special on their birthday and turning 100 is always something we want to celebrate in style! I am very pleased to see how much fun all of our residents had at Dorothy’s party, I think it is wonderful our team were able to make the day so memorable’.

Ash Tree House is operated by Ideal Carehomes and is rated as ‘Good’ by the Care Quality Commission as well as ‘Assured’ in all areas of Infection Prevention and Control. Residents at Ash Tree House can enjoy a full programme of health, leisure and wellbeing activities managed by a dedicated team of carers. All 60 bedrooms are en-suite, enabling staff to deliver person-centred care in a dignified manner, promoting independence as far as possible. For more information about Ash Tree House, contact Chris on 01942 256089 or visit https://www.idealcarehomes.co.uk/