Two Amesbury residents have marked turning 100 and 101 with a small celebration.

Phyllis Young, 100, and Marjorie Kochane, 101, fellow residents in retirement housing complex Evergreen Court, celebrated the occasion with a resident's lunch and live music last week.

Marjorie was unable to celebrate her 100th last year due to Covid lockdown restrictions.

Phyllis' children, Dawn Ford and David Hope, organised the event to fall on the day she turned 100, on June 29.

Dawn said: "If anyone ever asks my mum what her secret to a long life is, she always says, 'Two husbands and a toyboy' - that, and a small brandy every night.

"Unfortunately, my dad died very young, at 57, and she remarried and then unfortunately that second husband also passed away, and then she had a partner for a little while, who also passed away."

She describes her mum as someone who "always looks immaculate" at the age of 100: "My mum has her nails done regularly, she keeps them manicured, she has her hair done regularly. She's a very smart lady. She always looks immaculate.

"She speaks as she finds and keeps herself very tidy. I hope it's in the genes!"

Dawn says that her mother has lived "a very interesting life".

Phyllis was born in Upavon and started her working life in domestic service, and went on to work on the telephone exchange and as a Civil Servant at RAF Upavon.

Dawn said: "She's amazing for 100. She's very sociable. She goes to everything arranged in Evergreen Court, whether it's bingo, Keep Fit, or knit and natter.

"She always likes to make herself known to everybody, very friendly.

"Covid has been hard for her, being such a sociable person and being vulnerable at her age. She did find isolating difficult, but she kept cheerful enough and now we're beginning to get back to some kind of normality, she's glad to be mixing again.

"I think at that age, they deal with things as they come, without making a big thing out of it.

"We're very proud of her and for all that she's achieved."

Dawn added that the joint party was a great success: "It was absolutely wonderful. We had 54 residents here, all socially distanced and Covid safe, in the cafe.

"The Residents' Committee arranged to have music. We had a jazz duo who played for them, and Brett, who runs the cafe, did a really nice lunch for everyone."

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