West Sussex care home resident celebrates 105th birthday

Daisy Thornton celebrated her milestone birthday on July 24, surrounded by family and fellow residents. They enjoyed a small party organised by the care home’s staff, filled with cake and a musical performance from a local singer.

Born in 1919, mother of three Daisy grew up in Stonehaven, a town on Scotland’s north-east coast.

After leaving school at the age of 14, she worked as a nursery nurse and helped to care for young children in the local area. She has particularly fond memories of caring for a child with Downs Syndrome, who she helped to learn to walk, talk and dress herself.

In 1939, she married George Thornton, who was the brother of one of her childhood friends. Together, they had three sons, and later, four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Daisy and George spent most of their married life living in Scotland but moved to Worthing in the early 1990’s to be closer to their family. While there, they played for their local bowls club and won several trophies.

The pair celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary on July 29, 1999, shortly before George passed away at the age of 94 in 2003.

Daisy moved to the Shaw healthcare-owned home in February 2024 after suffering from a fall, however, had been living independently up until she was 103 years old.

She is described by family as an accomplished seamstress and a dedicated follower of fashion, having worked in a local boutique during the mid-1970s. She had a passion for travel in her earlier life and has visited countries including the Caribbean, Norway, Sweden and Crete, which she visited to celebrate her granddaughter’s wedding.

Explaining the secret to her long life, Daisy said: “Take each day as it comes. Do everything in moderation and then not much can go wrong.”

Reflecting on the day, Manager of Warmere Court, Mary Latter said: “Daisy is a pleasure to have here at Warmere Court and we were delighted to help her celebrate this major milestone.

Daisy and the other residents had a wonderful time at her party where they danced and sang along to music.”