A resident at a care home in Purley celebrated his 100th birthday and revealed the secret to staying healthy. 

Birthday celebrations were in full swing at Care UK’s Amberley Lodge care home on Downlands Road when resident Raymond Kinder celebrated his 100th birthday. Raymond turned 100 years ‘young’ on 25th May, and revealed the secret to staying healthy is good food, good drink and a good sing-a-long.  

To celebrate his milestone birthday, Raymond was joined by family, friends and residents for a party hosted by the team at the care home. 

Raymond was born on 25th May 1917 in Croydon. As a child, he loved playing on the local streets with his three brothers and joining his dad on trips with Batchols Removal Company. 

Raymond joined the army at 18 years old and served his country on the front line. After the war, he returned home and followed in his dad Herbert’s footsteps and joined Batchols Removals. During this time he met the love of his life, Violet, and they married in 17th October 1966, bringing up her three small boys as his own. 

His favourite past time was socialising with friends over a drink. Raymond knew every pub and club in Croydon, where he loved to tell a good story and was always the first to start a sing-a-long. 

Raymond has lived at Amberley Lodge care home for three and a half years. Krystyna Bosko, home manager at Amberley Lodge, said: “Residents are at the heart of everything we do here at Amberley Lodge, and we always like to make an occasion of birthdays.

“To celebrate Raymond’s 100th birthday, we held a special party here at the home, and it was lovely to be joined by Raymond’s family and friends for this important milestone.”

For more information about Amberley Lodge, please call Andrew Jarman, on 03702185424 or email andrew.jarman@careuk.com.

For more general information, please visit: careuk.com/amberley-lodge.

Article supplied by Becky Jukes