“Speak your mind!” – 100-year-old Wolverhampton care home resident shares the secret to a long life

Doreen Diplock, who lives at Care UK’s Foxland Grange, on Wergs Road, recently celebrated her 100^th birthday surrounded by her family, fellow residents, and team members.

Doreen was born on 12 April 1925 and raised in Muswell Hill, North London, where she lived until 1955 before making a move to Potters Bar, Middlesex, and eventually settling in Wolverhampton from 2018.

After her schooling days, Doreen trained as a GPO telephone receptionist in London and later worked a stint on the telephone switchboard at 10 Downing Street during the latter part of World War II.

After the war, Doreen met her husband, Brian Diplock. Romance quickly blossomed and the couple tied the knot in 1951. Together, they had two sons, Malcolm and Nigel, who went on to bring three grandchildren into the family, and they all often visit Doreen at Foxland Grange.

In her spare time, Doreen is a long-standing member of the Women’s Institute (WI), which she joined in 1957. Over the last six decades, Doreen has taken on various roles such as secretary, treasurer, and president and she also spent many years hosting stalls at her local WI market, selling freshly made goods including cakes, breads and jams.

Reflecting on her many happy years, Doreen shared her secret to living a long life, simply stating that it was to: “Speak your mind and do what you love.”

To help make Doreen’s birthday one to remember, the Foxland Grange team threw her a special party complete with a birthday cake specially made by the home’s talented Head Chef.

Katy Anderson, General Manager at Foxland Grange, said: “We love marking special occasions here at Foxland Grange – and Doreen’s 100th birthday was a truly remarkable milestone that deserved a big celebration!

“It was heartwarming to see Doreen surrounded by her loved ones, sharing laughter, memories, and her words of wisdom for a long life. Our team pulled out all the stops to make her day as special as possible – it really was a celebration to remember.”

Foxland Grange provides full-time residential, dementia and nursing care in a luxury environment, as well as short-term respite care. Designed to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives, while also promoting independence, the home incorporates plenty of space for leisure activities and hobbies, and also has its own café, hair and beauty salon and gardens. The building has been configured into a series of neighbourhoods to help facilitate the creation of close-knit communities and encourage social interaction among the residents.

For more information on Foxland Grange, please call Customer Relations Manager Jazz Lalli, on 01902 955 633, or email jazz.lalli@careuk.com.