Almost 200 years on the clock for care home couple

A Sleaford area village care home resident has just celebrated her 100th birthday - along with her 99-year-old husband!
Olive Laxen enjoying her birthday tea with husband Eric, 99. EMN-211207-170912001Olive Laxen enjoying her birthday tea with husband Eric, 99. EMN-211207-170912001
Olive Laxen enjoying her birthday tea with husband Eric, 99. EMN-211207-170912001

Staff at the Five Bells residential home in Folkingham celebrated centenarian Olive Laxen’s milestone on June 30 with fellow residents, as well as relatives, at a birthday lunch, complete with birthday cake.

Home manager Tracey Hall explained Olive lives at the home with husband Eric, who will mark his 100th birthday in January 2022.

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Olive was born in Worcestershire and met her husband at an Army Mess dance aged 19. They were both keen dancers and married a couple of years later.

Olive's cake, presented at Five Bells nursing home, Folkingham. EMN-211207-170923001Olive's cake, presented at Five Bells nursing home, Folkingham. EMN-211207-170923001
Olive's cake, presented at Five Bells nursing home, Folkingham. EMN-211207-170923001

The long-lived couple had two children - a boy and a girl.

They lived in Scotland for a while and after Eric retired from the Army they moved to Wiltshire.

They ran a pub in Dorset for a while and have lived in various parts of the country, moving here four years ago to be closer to their daughter.

Tracey said: “When she was in her 50s whilst at a holiday camp, her husband entered her into a beauty competition which she won. He only told her he had done this about an hour beforehand.”

Eric and Olive also have three grandsons and a great granddaughter who she met for the first time on her 100th birthday.

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