‘Spending time with loved ones’ – Horley resident reveals the secret to a long life on 100th birthday

A very special birthday celebration took place at Care UK’s Amherst House care home, on Court Lodge Road, when resident Donald Pattenden turned 100 years ‘young’. To mark the occasion, Donald, known by his family as Don, revealed his secret to longevity was a ‘spending time with loved ones’.

To celebrate, the home decorated the lounge with balloons and banners, and the home’s talented head chef baked a special birthday cake for everyone to enjoy.

Don was born on March 22 1922 in Horley. Creative in nature, Don’s career saw him work as a tool maker and carpenter, with his hobbies including painting, gardening and reading.

He has been married and has two children, Carole and Andrew, whom he spent many family weekends with on visits to local beauty spots when they were growing up. Bob also has two grandchildren.

General Manager at Amherst House Cristina Cristea said: “Don is a much-loved resident at Amherst House, and it was fantastic to help him celebrate this incredible milestone with his friends here at the care home.

“Here at Amherst House, everything we do is focused around our ethos of ensuring residents live active and fulfilling lives, so we always like to celebrate important milestones – and Don’s 100th birthday was no exception. It was lovely to raise a glass together on his special day.”

Designed to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives, while also promoting independence, Amherst House, which remains open to potential residents, incorporates space for hobby and leisure activities.

The building has been designed to help facilitate the creation of close-knit communities and encourage social interaction among the residents.

See more: Crawley student ‘almost cried’ after receiving letter from The Queen, Gatwick Airport: easyJet will operate 'vast majority' of flights following UK-wide cancellationsTo find out more about Amherst House, please call Home Admissions Advisor, Terri Rowe on 01293 223 600, or email [email protected] or visit: careuk.com/amherst-houseFor general information about Care UK, please visit: careuk.com