It is not very often you see a balloon with this number on it!
The team at the Short Term Care Centre in Plymouth organised a surprise party for Dorothy Moore to celebrate her 100th birthday. They also asked colleagues from Livewell Southwest to send cards, and she received a total of 117 to open!
When Dorothy was born on the family farm in Coryton, near Lifton in 1925, her older sister said she looked like a dolly and the name stuck.
She says the routine of ‘farming life’ instilled many good habits in her for a successful life. She was home schooled and, as a teenager helped her father, mother and sister with the milk round.
Dolly on the family farm
In her spare time, she loved going to the village dances and continued to love dancing well into her nineties.
After World War Two, Dolly worked as a nanny with several families in Devon and London. She then became a school cook up until her retirement.
She then had time for her many hobbies which included woodworking, sewing, cooking, gardening, dancing and art. She was also a volunteer at the National Trust property Saltram House in Plymouth for many years.
She is fiercely independent and loves her own home and garden. She has continued to cook for herself (cakes are a speciality!) She is looking forward to pottering around in the garden in the sunshine after receiving support on her strength and mobility from the team at the Short Term Care Centre.
Dolly with Short Term Care Centre Manager Karen Turvey
Manager Karen Turvey said: “Dolly is an absolute inspiration. 100 years of wisdom. We are so grateful for the opportunity to share such a special day with her.
“Thank you to everyone who helped support the birthday party. It really meant a lot.”
Dolly and her niece and nephew, with the Short Term Care Centre team
The Short Term Care Centre, based at the William and Patricia Venton Centre, is a place where people can go for residential assessment from Livewell Southwest’s Community Crisis Response Team. This is so they don’t have to go into hospital. It is also for those who are medically fit for discharge from hospital but need a short period of rehabilitation before returning home. It is provided in partnership with Plymouth City Council, Plymouth Age UK and the NHS.
