Devonshire Court resident celebrates 100th birthday

A resident at Devonshire Court, in Leicester, has celebrated her 100th birthday.

Noreen Gubbins enjoyed a tea party with fellow residents, and a Zoom call on the Home’s large cinema screen with family. In spite of the pandemic, staff were determined to ensure that she had a memorable birthday, so they safely arranged a small gathering.

Noreen Evelyn Bassett was born on 2^nd March 1921, just two years after the end of the First World War. The only child of John and Florence, she lived in Leicester most of her life. After school, she worked in the offices of a retail store, occasionally modelling their clothes for customers.

During the Second World War, she worked as a civilian member of the Army Pay Corps alongside Clifton James, the former actor who starred in “I was Monty’s Double” (playing the part of Field Marshall Montgomery in a bid to fool the Nazis).

Noreen met her friend Muriel’s brother, John Edward Gubbins (known as Jack), when he was a newly Commissioned Officer in the RAF, flying as a Navigator with the Bomber Command.

The couple married in July 1947 and went on to have two daughters and a son, followed by four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Her husband Jack followed in his father’s footsteps to become a successful butcher, with a number of shops in Leicester and Glenfield, the village in which they made their home.

Noreen has always been family orientated, supporting her son’s Scout band, sewing ballet outfits and baking hundreds of cakes with the children over the years.

Sharing her secret to a long life, Noreen said:

Always keep smiling and have a wonderful family surrounding you.

Claire Barratt, Activities Coordinator at Devonshire Court, said:

A wonderful afternoon was had by all celebrating Noreen’s 100th birthday. It was fantastic to see everybody come together on Zoom and socially distanced in the Home to join in with a lovely lady’s birthday.