Happy 100th birthday Madge!

Good neighbours, great memories and a tot of whisky are the secret of a long life for sprightly Great Wyrley resident Madge, who celebrated her 100th birthday with a party thrown by friends and family.

Madge has lived in the same house since 1957 and South Staffordshire Housing Association’s Teresa Smith surprised her with a bouquet of flowers on the big day.

“I moved here with my late husband, George. It was newly built and we fell in love with it straight away. We were lucky to have a garden and worked hard to make it so beautiful that we won certificates for it,” Madge remembered.

“This has always been somewhere where people look out for each other. We had some brilliant street parties and we used to set off together, every year, to see the lights at Blackpool. It’s still like that today, my neighbours are wonderful. Some of them I’ve known since they were children and now they pop in for a chat and lend a hand if I need it,” she continued.

Madge believes that her happy home is one of the secrets to long life – along with a tot of whisky in her glass of milk before bed each night:

“I’ve had a great life here, with lovely people around me. I could have moved into a bungalow but this is my home, all my memories are here.”