A CARE HOME resident celebrated her 100th birthday last month.

Nellie Cox, a resident of Heather Grange care home in Burnley, turned 100 on Friday (February 26).

Residents and staff at the home held a special party for Nellie, which included a cabaret performance by the care home’s activity co-ordinator, Gerard Horrocks, with everyone joining in the fun.

When asked what the secret to her long life was, Nellie said “always being around her family.”

Nellie also said that the best memory of her long life was marrying Harold – Harold was, as she said, “a good man!”

Born in 1921 at Sandy Hall Farm in Barrowford, where her nephew Robert still lives, Nellie is the youngest of seven children and had four older brothers – Bob, Arthur, James and Tom – and two older sisters, Annie and Mary.

She attended Whitefield Council School and then went on to Nelson Grammar School before leaving school at the 16 to work on her family farm, running a milk round and looking after the dairy herd.

Nellie married Harold Cox, a boy from a neighbouring farm and they had two daughters, Sylvia and Barbara.

In addition to her two daughters, Nellie has five grandchildren, 10 great grandchildren and three great great grandchildren.

When she retired, Nellie and Harold loved going away in their caravan. They especially liked the seaside and loved Scotland. Her father had always said that there were too many people and too much traffic down south, so they never went.

Home manager Abby Mbizi said: “On behalf of all the staff and residents at Heather Grange, I would like to take this opportunity to wish Nellie a happy 100th birthday. It is such an honour to celebrate a century of life with you. May you continue to enjoy the journey of life.”