Bognor Regis woman celebrates 103rd birthday

Margaret Cooper, who lives at Elizabeth House care home, celebrated the amazing milestone on October 7 with family, friends and relatives.

She was born in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, before her family moved to Buckinghamshire. Throughout her childhood she was fond of dancing, taking up ballet from the age of four.

After leaving school at 15, Margaret joined the Aylesbury Post Office as a telephonist and worked there throughout World War Two, where she recalls frequently putting calls through to Winston Churchill’s office at Chequers. She later worked in several roles in the Midhurst area, working at Michael Scott's Cake Factory, The Angel Hotel and Paine Engineering, later known as Frazer Nash.

Margaret met Ronald, at a dance in Ellesborough Village Hall, who she went onto marry, they had a long and happy marriage. They had four children, and in later life made the most of their retirement by travelling abroad to France, Crete, Malta and Cyprus.

The couple also helped their local community by delivering meals on wheels, and when they first moved to Bognor to live in a retirement complex, they helped out in the kitchen. When Ronald died in 2001, Margaret moved back to the Midhurst area to be closer to her family, even travelling to Australia with a friend when she was well in to her 80s.

Margaret moved into Elizabeth House in November 2021 and loves gardening and Dalmatian dogs. She says her secret to longevity is staying active and a healthy lifestyle.

Home manager, Marian Drake said: “Margaret is a much-loved character at Elizabeth House so we were delighted to come together to celebrate this milestone. She’s led a varied life and that is still evident today - Margaret is the first to be up dancing at a party, and is a real social butterfly.”

Elizabeth House, which is run by Shaw healthcare in partnership with West Sussex County Council, provides residential care for up to 60 people including those living with dementia. Shaw healthcare is, the largest employee-owned healthcare provider in the UK.