Sylvia spends her 100th birthday surrounded by friends and family
At her 100th birthday party in the lounge at Goldwyn House, a Retirement Living PLUS development in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, Sylvia blew out the candles on her cake and made a toast to what has been a wonderful life, full of adventure and love.
Sylvia was happy to share her secrets to a happy life and to reaching this significant milestone. She says, “Be engrossed in everything and just have a good time. Lots of wine and good food is a good start, and I’d also say make sure you go and explore, go on holiday, go to the theatre and spend time with your family and friends. I had 21 of my closest friends here with me today, which wouldn’t have been the case if I still lived in my previous home.”
Moving was easy thanks to McCarthy Stone
Speaking about their move, Sylvia and her husband Sydney said how thankful they were for the help they received from McCarthy Stone, “McCarthy Stone made it an easy move and took care of all of the legal side. They also helped with the moving and selling, so we really didn’t have much to do. The apartments are nice and modern, so it really gave us a fresh start to do what we wanted. There were only a few of us to begin with, but we grew together and now have a great community here.”A life filled with love
After the Second World War, Sylvia found herself doing several different jobs, including starting her own business, while also starting a family.
“I opened a shop called Peter Pan, selling mainly ladies’ lingerie and children’s clothing, it actually became very popular and was quite a successful little shop!”
She has two children Janis and Nicolas, six grandchildren and four great grandchildren, who Sylvia adores and loves to spend time with — in fact she moved Goldwyn House, as she wanted to be closer to her family, “Sydney and I came to Borehamwood after living in Ilford for a period of time and have loved being closer to our family. Although some of my grandchildren live in America, I get to see the majority of my family all of the time which is wonderful. We actually didn’t tell them that we had bought a property here and surprised them with the news after we visited!”
But a long wait for a wedding…
Sylvia married her first husband at just 18 before the Second World War, but her second husband Sydney had a much longer wait. They tied the knot around 6 years ago, but Sydney says, “We’ve been together for over 50 years, so it took her 50 years to decide to get married, after deliberating on it for that long. Funnily enough, it’s the only decision that she’s taken a long time to make!”Don’t wait to find your dream retirement home with McCarthy Stone
From our thriving communities to our fantastic services and amenities, you can rely on us to help you to find your dream retirement home.
Got a question? We’d love to hear from you. Send us a message online or call our friendly team on 0800 201 4811 today.
