Zetland Court resident celebrates her 100th birthday and reveals her secret to a long life

A resident at Zetland Court, in Bournemouth, has recently celebrated her 100^th birthday. Betty Whitehead enjoyed a celebration complete with tea and cake at the care home with her loved ones. She even received a birthday card from the Queen.

Zetland Court resident Betty’s birthday cake to celebrate her centenarian milestone.

Betty was born a century ago, on 12 August 1922. Although she grew up in Blandford, Dorset, her first home was in London. “12A Norfolk Road, St John’s Wood,” she clearly recalls. Betty attended the Blandford Girls School, where the headmistress encouraged her love of gardening. She says:

Gardening is wonderful and, to this day, I love to be outdoors in the fresh air.

She left school in April 1937 and then became a children’s nanny to a family in Westbourne. She adored children. Later, in 1939, Betty went to care for the family of the manager of Metropole Hotel, in Bournemouth. The hotel was destroyed in 1943, during the Second World War, when a squadron of German planes attacked the city.

When the war broke out, Betty became a Female Assistant Mechanic at the Post Office Garage, in Blandford. She remembers coming home every evening to get cleaned up before going dancing.

Betty has always been full of energy. When asked about her secret to a long life, she reveals:

The secret is to have a sense of humour!

[Summary: Betty Whitehead, a resident at Zetland Court, in Bournemouth, has recently celebrated her 100^th birthday. She reveals her secret to a long life, which is to have a sense of humour.]