STAFF at a Bewdley care home made a special effort to surprise a resident who turned 100 years old during the ongoing coronavirus lockdown.

Summerdyne Nursing Home resident Wendy Marshall was born in Nuneaton on March 25, 1920. She was the youngest of five sisters - Rhoda, Barbara, Olga and her twin sister Garnet, otherwise known as Binkie.

Wendy grew up in Coventry and Warwickshire and met her husband in York during the Second World War.

The pair had a son, Rod, and a daughter, Ginny, as well as four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Kidderminster Shuttle:

Wendy was the librarian at Exhall Grange School, a residential school for partially-sighted and disabled children, where her husband was the headmaster for 30 years.

During the war, Wendy remembers witnessing the bombing and destruction of Coventry and was present at the consecration of the new cathedral, where her son was a chorister in 1962.

Other fond memories include visits to Buckingham Palace for a garden party and later when her husband was awarded an OBE. A picture of the day is proudly displayed in Wendy's room at Summerdyne.

In her younger years, Wendy enjoyed holidaying with family in Tuscany, Venice and Athens and annual visits to Musselburgh in Scotland, where her twin sister lived.

She and her husband always owned a dog and enjoyed daily walks.

Wendy was also a regular visitor to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre at Stratford and the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry.

An active member of the Church, she was president of the Southam Inner Wheel for a period.

She enjoyed gardening and was an avid reader and crossword puzzle solver, reading The Times newspaper every day.

Summerdyne activity co-ordinator Sarah Beard said Wendy "always takes pride in herself" and "good manners come top of the list".

She added: "Keeping the home neat and tidy was and is still a priority and an important part of Wendy’s day to day life.

"Here at Summerdyne, Wendy is always on the move keen to clear cups and saucers away and is a dab hand with the duster – polishing bannisters and keeping herself busy."

Wendy was unable to celebrate the milestone with family because of lockdown measures, but staff were determined to make it a day to remember and surprised her with a cake and a birthday card from the Queen.

Sarah said: "Under these difficult circumstances when family and friends are not allowed to visit, we hope we have done Wendy and her family proud in celebrating the day with her."