Musical and ballroom dancing lover, Lynn, celebrates 101st birthday in style at Friends of the Elderly Malvern

Rosaleen ‘Lynn’ Harper, a resident at Davenham, the residential care home at  Friends of the Elderly Malvern, has had a ‘Waltz-Wonderful’ day celebrating her amazing landmark 101st Birthday with a musical morning and afternoon tea party with her family and care home friends.

Lynn, who was born in East Kilbride, Scotland in April 1925 moved into Davenham three months ago. “I decided that this was the right place for me because everyone is so kind,” said Lynn.

Growing up in Scotland, Lynn enjoyed her school years. “My favourite lesson was History, it’s a subject that I still find very interesting and enjoy today,” added Lynn. Lynn was also rather sporty. “I loved swimming and won a cup for my school. I also liked Ice Skating, Horse Riding and Tennis, but I only watch those on television now. My friends and I used to go to the cinema as much as possible as we loved watching musicals. I think seeing Fred Astaire float across the screen with Ginger Rogers started my love of Ballroom Dancing.

 “Fred and Ginger made 10 films together and I’ve seen them all, many times. Swing Time, Top Hat, Shall We Dance?, The Gay Divorcee, Follow The Fleet, Flying Down to Rio, Roberta, Carefree, The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle and, of course, their only Technicolour film, The Barkleys of Broadway – they were excellent dancers and all the films were so wonderful.”

 After leaving school, Lynn worked for an Accountancy firm, a job that she thoroughly enjoyed and, in 1945, she married her Husband, James ‘Jim’, at St Aloysius’ Church in Glasgow.

The church is a Category A listed Jesuit church which was built between 1908 and 1910 in the Baroque Revival style. “It’s a beautiful church which was designed by the Belgian architect Charles Jean Ménart which he modelled on the Cathedral of Namur,” continued Lynn.

 Lynn and Jim spent many happy holidays travelling abroad and visited lots of different countries. “Our favourite holiday destination was St. Maria in Spain. We first visited when we were newlyweds and, over the years, made lifelong friends there. With my love of History, St. Maria Is a magical place to spend time. Known as El Puerto de Santa María, it’s a beautiful, historic coastal city in Cádiz in Andalusia, famous for not only its sandy beaches but also The Castle of San Marco, a 13th Century former Mosque, its Sherry production and connections to Christopher Columbus,” said Lynn.

“Lynn is a lovely lady who likes nothing more than enjoying a Hot Chocolate and a good chat,” said Jo Bennett, the General Manager at Friends of the Elderly Malvern. “She’s particularly fond of Chef’s breakfasts as well, especially his Porridge and toast and marmalade. Lynn often comments that the toast is ‘golden to perfection’ or ‘Wangy’ – which I now know means perfectly browned.”

Lynn is a lovely lady who has made many friends at the care since she joined the Davenham Family,” said Dawn Jones, the Activities Coordinator at Davenham. “To mark her amazing 101st Birthday, we wanted Lynn to have a day full of her favourite things. To start the celebrations, we held a Birthday Musical Morning and, in the afternoon, threw a celebratory Birthday Party complete with banners, balloons and, of course, a delicious birthday cake which Lynn enjoyed with her care home friends.”

“I often take part in the regular reminiscing sessions at Davenham,” continued Lynn. “Before my 101st Birthday, we chatted about the many different things I’ve seen and experienced during my life so far – there have been so many things, too many to mention. I been around since the BBC came into being, women over 21 were finally given the right to vote, Penicillin was discovered, Edward VIII’s abdicated, men went to the Moon, the Channel Tunnel opened creating the first land link between Britain and France since the last Ice Age; and I’ve seen five Monarchs on the throne and 20 different Prime Ministers in Westminster – so really quite a lot.”

“Lynn is a very positive person,” added Jo. “She always says that her secret to a long, happy and fulfilled life is to enjoy what you do, keep your friends and make the most of every day, which are great things to live by.”

“I was asked the other day that if I could have a superpower, what would it be? I said I’d like the Gift of Healing, as I’d like to make sure everyone is happy and healthy,” added Lynn.

“I have had a really special and memorable 101st Birthday. I have been made to feel so special and enjoyed a wonderful birthday day. I’m so very happy living here at Davenham, it’s more than just a care home, it’s my home and I couldn’t be happier living here,” concluded Lynn.