Tenant celebrates special birthday milestone
One of our tenants has celebrated a special milestone – his 100th birthday.
Family and friends gathered this week to mark Jim Dean’s birthday at the Old Palace, in St Asaph, Denbighshire where he marked the occasion with a celebratory lunch and a birthday cake.
A former motor engineer, Jim was born in Manchester, but lived in Stockport before moving to Denbighshire to live with his wife Elsie. They moved to the Old Palace in 2003.
Jim said: “Reaching a 100 – it’s a secret that I can’t really explain. Probably having good health all my life has helped to get this far anyway. There have been one or two blips on the way, but I’ve managed it in the end. And I had a very good partner to share my life with.
“One of my biggest hobbies over the years was crown green bowling and used to play in several leagues. My wife and I both played bowls. I played in the afternoons and joined my wife on the green every evening. That took over my life.
“When we lived in Manchester, we used to come down to Rhyl regularly on visits, just for a weekend out. My wife’s cousin lived down there near the rugby club. We heard there was a bungalow becoming empty. We said we’d never move again once we had settled but on the way home we called into the estate agents. We decided to sell the house and moved to the bungalow in Rhyl and we loved it”.
Shelly Ross, our Community Housing Officer at Yr Hen Balas, said: “Jim is such a great character and looks so much younger than his 100 years.
“He really didn’t want any fuss on his special birthday but we couldn’t let that moment pass without a celebration.
Sarah Schofield, our Director of Customers and Communities, said: “We were delighted to join in Jim’s 100th birthday celebrations. That’s a special milestone and a great opportunity to celebrate with his family and friends.
“He is a shining example to us all and the fact that he continues to follow his daily routines like walking down the high street to get his newspaper is remarkable”.