A VERY special birthday has been celebrated in Farnham.
Doris Bendall turned 105 on Monday and marked the occasion with a family get-together at her grandson’s house in Weybourne.
She was joined by around 26 guests, including many of her grandchildren and great grandchildren, with around 100 years between Doris and the youngest guest, who was aged four.
And that wasn’t the only party celebrating Doris’ big day – Grace House Care Home in Lower Bourne, where she now lives, also threw her a birthday bash on Monday.
They had a singer who performed music from the 40s and 50s, which Doris sang along to, according to her daughter Pat. Doris was determined to walk into the party and did so with a frame.
Pat added Doris had a “lovely time” at both parties.
Doris was born in Edward Road, Farnham, in 1914 and went to the Bourne School.
She has lived in the Bourne and Farnham all her life.
When she finished school, Doris went into service as a house-keeper maid, before working in a bakery cafe in the Borough. She went on to work as a milk lady at Whitelocks dairy in the Ridgway.
Doris married twice, firstly to George Huckle, with whom she had two children, Pat and Ken.
She later married Bert Bendall who had two children, Paul and Sue.
Doris is now a grandmother and great grandmother to six grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren.
Despite being registered blind and wearing hearing aids, Doris has started joining in with bingo at the care home.
She moved into Grace House Care Home at the end of September and has “settled in really well”, Pat said.
She added Doris was looked after by “an amazing team of staff”, and that Grace House was “warm and friendly, like a family home”.
Doris received a celebratory birthday card from the Queen and another from Amber Rudd, secretary of state for work and pensions.