Town crier helps Shrewsbury care home resident Beryl celebrate her 100th birthday in style
Oyez! Oyez! Shrewsbury's town crier wished a very happy birthday to a town care home resident and TV soap watcher who has reached the grand old age of 100.
Coronation Street fan Beryl Morris - who may well have watched every single episode of the ITV soap since it started in December 1960 - celebrated reaching the milestone age at Ideal Care Home, in Gains Park, Shrewsbury on Friday.
Town Crier Martin Wood and his wife Sue - along with their bell - made sure all and sundry knew it was Beryl's big day. Beryl's two grandchildren Ben, and Jayne, and son Geoff made it four generations of the family in the same place.
"We're told that my mum is the first to reach 100 at the care home," said Geoff Morris, 76, who lives in Telford.
"I would put her own longevity down to her living a sheltered life - she is not a drinker or smoker and she has controlled her eating and is always healthy."
Her own mum, Lily Beasley, lived until she was 104 and Beryl looked after her for many years.
Born in Neath in Wales, she lived for most of her life in Kidderminster where she worked as a "canary girl" in a local munitions factory during the war. She married Ron on June 2, 1945 and the couple had one child, Geoff, before Ron died in his 50s.
Following her husband's sudden death she took up caring responsibilities for her mum.
She moved to Shrewsbury's Withywood development to be closer to Geoff and his family, where she lived for about 18 months before her needs meant moving to the Ideal Care Home.
"My mum is a very quiet, softly spoken woman and very reserved, not at all a shouter, always very calm and collected," said Geoff. "She likes watching soaps, including Coronation Street which she has seen since it started!"
The family is hoping to receive a telegram from King Charles III to mark the auspicious occasion.
