A very special, and rare, event occurred at HC-One’s
Hinckley Park care home, in Hinckley, Leicestershire, as one Resident marked her 104th birthday with almost 104 balloons!
Margaret Knight was born on 10th March 1919 in London. She worked as a secretary to an MP and together with her husband Peter, they had two daughters; Elizabeth, who lives in Hinckley, and Sarah, who lives in France. Margaret says that she has lost track of the number of grandchildren and great-grandchildren!
In her 104 years, Margaret Knight has seen a lot including World War Two, the first supersonic flight, the first man on the moon and the first mobile phone (she's an avid mobile phone user herself!) She's seen a lot of firsts! So Colleagues were honoured that she spent her 104th birthday with them at the 35-bed residential and nursing care home.
Colleagues love regularly chatting to Margaret, who has a lot of stories to tell about her life. She lived and worked in London, was a part of the war effort, and talks about how Westminster Abbey was her local church. She has lived a life full of adventure and has even owned a houseboat on the Isle of Wight.
Margaret talks fondly of the amazing family that she has, who were an integral part of the birthday celebrations. Her birthday dawned with flurries of snow outside, but Relatives and Colleagues still all trickled in to wish her a ‘Happy Birthday’. The lounge was decorated with 100 balloons and the numbers 104 spelled out in rose gold numbers (see pictured).
Margaret had a birthday that was filled with love, family, and all her friends at Hinckley Park. She said,
“My advice to the younger generation? Be kind to one another.”
When asked about her secret to a long life, Margaret said,
“Be kind to one another.”
Rachael Gilliver, Wellbeing Coordinator at Hinckley Park, commented,
“Understandably, at 104, Margaret "didn't want a lot". However, there was a party with plenty of cake and some of Margaret's favourite tipple (Sherry). She also chose some of her favourite pieces of music for everyone to listen to and, when everyone wanted to relax for a while, chose some of her favourite films. Her family from Hinckley spent the day with her and her family from France will be visiting soon.”
See pictured from left to right:
Colleagues Anzelika (Kitchen Assistant), Laura (Home Administrator), Theresa, Hannah (Domestic), Rebecca (Care Assistant), Margaret, Rachael C (Care Assistant), Elizabeth (Margaret’s Daughter), David (Deputy Manager), Rachael G (Wellbeing Coordinator), Zee (Care Assistant), Sukai (Manager) and James (Care Assistant).