A HEREFORDSHIRE woman has celebrated her 105th birthday with family, friends and staff and fellow residents at a county care home.

Barbara Collcutt enjoyed the celebrations at the Shaw healthcare-operated Ledbury Nursing Home in Market Street, which included tea party, music, flower, sweet treats and a birthday card from the King.

Growing up in the London area, Barbara was married to husband Frank in a ceremony in Jersey in 1947. They later moved to West Sussex, where they had three daughters, and Barbara set up and ran a launderette in Goring.

ALSO READ:

In the 1970s, they moved to the West Midlands, but after Frank’s death in 1999, Barbara decided to move to Cyprus with her daughter and son-in-law, Sally and Terry.

By April 2022, she had become a local celebrity in the Cypriot town of Paralimni, as she was the oldest resident in the town. But eventually, due to health issues, she decided to return to the UK, moving into Ledbury Nursing Home in October 2023.

Barbara, who in addition to her three daughters, has six grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren, attributes her longevity to her genes, as her parents and grandparents all lived well into the 90s.

Home manager Jozsef Ambrus said: “Barbara is such an interesting lady – and even as she celebrates her 105th birthday, she continues to have a youthful enthusiasm that is infectious for all of the staff and residents alike.

“We’d like to thank everyone who came for making it such a special day.”