Mayor joins former librarian as she celebrates her 100th birthday in Worthing

Mrs Joyce Lawrence was treated to a birthday barbecue and live music at The New Grange dementia care home, in Homefield Road, Worthing, this afternoon.

She said she could not believe she was 100 but she had enjoyed her birthday. Joyce was joined by her son Chris, his partner Beverley and her grandson Lee.

Chris said she had always been independent, living in various rented properties in Lancing and Worthing since her retirement.

Joyce managed on her own well into her 90s but with her eyesight failing her, it became necessary to move into a care home.

Chris said she was determined to prove her independence, once making it over to the Isle of Wight on her own and another time escaping through the fire escape complete with her Zimmer frame. Having been in different care homes, finally, at New Grange, Joyce is happy and settled.

She was born in Berwick upon Tweed on June 26, 1923. After finishing school, Joyce worked in service on the Isle of Wight, then went into the Land Army in London during the Second World War.

Joyce met her husband Walter, known as Bronc, in London and they set up home in Chelsea, where she brought up her two sons, Ray and Chris.

Chris said: "Whenever there was a thunderstorm, Mum would herd us under the stairs to hide. The noise reminded her so much of bombs exploding, and when the doodlebugs used to fly over our house in Chelsea and she hoped that the engines will keep going until the flying bomb passed over and beyond our house."

When the boys were a bit older, Ray being ten and Chris five, the family moved to Crawley New Town. Here, Joyce had her third child, Lee's mum Margaret. Bronc died in 1999, aged 76.

Chris said: "Mum always had a thirst for knowledge, she loved to read and did crosswords every day. She knitted very well and crocheted also, creating clothes for her children.

"Mum worked hard all of the time, always putting her children first. She retired as a librarian in Crawley. Mum loves to be by the seaside and moved to Lancing, then to Worthing.

"Mum has always been strongly independent, looking after herself well into her 90s, until her sight failed her. She has never owed a penny to anyone and is quite rightly proud of that fact."

Joyce has ten grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild, with another on the way.