A landmark birthday in St Catherine’s Care Home has prompted a visit by a journalist from Newcastle’s Evening Chronicle.
Sister Margaret Grimsdale celebrated her 100th Birthday on July 4th, which means we now have three centenarians among our residents.
This is so unusual we were contacted by Chronicle journalist Ruth Lawson who asked if she could come and interview the ladies. As she said in her article – there must be something in the water at St Catherine’s Care Home.
Sister Margaret, who entered the Society of Marie Reparatrice in her early 20s has lived and worked all over Europe, from Switzerland to Ireland. She told Ruth, ” I’m happy God has been good to me because I’ve been a little devil in my time.”
She celebrated her birthday with a meal and a couple of drinks at a restaurant with over 50 friends. Reaching her century isn’t going to slow her down – she’s looking forward to her annual trip to Lourdes in August.
The other ladies making the local news were Norah Gunning, who was 103 recently and 106 year old Isabella George.
Care Home Manager June Spoors says, “I don’t know what the secret of Isabella’s success is but hard work and a hard life hasn’t stopped her. It’s only in the past year that she has had major needs – up until then she was trotting around the place on her zimmer frame.”