00:00So we're here in Roxburgh House in Cradley Heath and we have, what's your
00:05names? Beryl, Robert. But it's not about you, it's all about Birthday Girl. Hello,
00:11hello Irene. That's you, 100 years old. How are you? Yeah, so has it been a busy day for you?
00:22Not really. We don't believe a word of that. I've seen balloons all over the shop at this place,
00:29is that for you, is it? Yes. Someone's got a bit of puff, there's a lot of balloons that have been
00:34blowing up, isn't there? So the care home put a call out, didn't they, saying, oh it'd be nice if
00:40people could send her a card, let's get a few cards. I mean, this is insane, isn't it? We've
00:45got a bag full, how many do you reckon? 370. That's crazy. How does that make you feel? So
00:53many people have posted in a card to wish you a happy birthday? I don't know. Does it make
00:59you feel a bit special? I don't know. Eh? I can't. I feel so. Yeah, well you are special,
01:06100 years old. So tell us a little bit about your mum then. OK, well mum, mum was born in
01:14King Standing. OK, yep. No, I don't know why she was born in Aston. Yeah. And then they moved to
01:20King Standing when she was about 12. Yeah. Years of age, just before the start of the Second World
01:26War. Yeah. Which was actually quite lucky because Aston got heavily damaged during the war. Yeah.
01:32But they moved to King Standing and she was there until she married my dad. Yeah. Who, they got married in
01:3949. So how did she meet your dad? Was he did a tea dancing quite often or something like that? I think
01:44it might be that he was working on the roof of her factory. Ah, OK. Where she was working. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So
01:53he was doing a repair and I think that's how they met. But like I say, they got married in March
02:0049. Yeah. I was born in January 50th. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. And I had a brother as well and a
02:09sister and a brother that was five years old. Yeah. And that's get the other one in,
02:14a wife too. Yeah. So. And what, so what did your mum, what was Irene's kind of line of work then?
02:20What did she used to do over the years? Oh, I don't know. She was, she was just in a factory.
02:24I think it was, I think it was. Yeah, OK. A factory somewhere in Birmingham. Yeah. I can't quite
02:31remember what, what the details were. And what, what, what have you done for pleasure over the
02:36years, Irene? Have you liked, have you enjoyed your holidays? Yes. So where, where's been your
02:41favourite place to go? Every main place. But where's your favourite then? If you had a magic wand and you could
02:49be whisked away on holiday to somewhere, where would you go? I don't know.
02:53Yeah. Land don't know. Are we talking Wales or are we talking on a plane abroad?
02:58Oh, I don't like going on a plane. No. We'll stick with Wales then. Yeah. We'll stick with
03:03Wales. And what have you enjoyed in your life? Have you, have you, have you been into your
03:07music? She loves to sing a lot. Sing. Oh, right, OK. What sort of stuff, what sort of
03:13singers, was there anyone I would know whose songs you would sing? I've got no. Go on,
03:19chuck a name out at me. I might surprise you, I might know it. Who did she used to like?
03:25Probably Shirley Bassey. Shirley Bassey? Well, I don't think so.
03:29I was going to say, you've got to have some proper lungs on you to attempt a Shirley Bassey song,
03:33haven't you? Yeah. So is she, erm, how long has she been here at Roxburgh then? Since March,
03:393rd of March. Yeah. 3rd of March. Yeah, yeah. And erm, she's settled in here has she, yeah? Well,
03:47yes. Yes and no. Yeah. So what have you, have you had any, what's it, you've had a special card
03:54off the King, there he is. Yeah. There we go, lovely. I haven't had one of them for my birthday.
04:00Erm, and have you had, have you managed to have a bit of birthday cake, or? Yeah, we had some earlier,
04:05didn't we? Yeah. And what's, what's your favourite tot over the years, if you had a tipple?
04:10No. Does she like a drink? Eggnog. Egg? She used to drink eggnog, yes. Eggnog? Yeah. Only at Christmas.
04:19Yeah, eggnog's kind of like erm, same as snowball, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah, well I'm with you on that.
04:23I'll tell you what, I'll come back Christmas with a bottle of snowball, bottle of eggnog, yeah? Yeah.
04:28And we'll share it between us. How about that? Okay. We'll settle on that then. Right, so she's erm,
04:34so she's erm, she's been a character has she, over the years? Oh. She, she was just basically a house.
04:41She was a house. Yeah, yeah. She just moved from the other side of Birmingham. Yeah.
04:47Yeah, it was a long, it was a long way then, from King Stanley to, to Ireland, that's where...
04:52Well it was like different worlds, wasn't it then, you know what I mean?
04:55Well it was three buses, and it was an hour and a half, so it was a long way away.
04:59So your dad's not around anymore? No, he's high, he's 85.
05:03Okay, a few years back then. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
05:06Yeah. Well, I can see you're quite tired, but on behalf of the Expressing Star,
05:11we just want to wish you a happy birthday, okay chicken?
05:14Cool. Thank you my dear. Hello Sue, how are you?
05:16Fine, thank you. So you represent the home? Yes.
05:19So erm, so you guys decided to put the word out, did you? Yes.
05:22To get a few cards sent in? Yes, that's correct, yes.
05:25And erm, you must be pleased with the response you've had.
05:27It's been overwhelming, every day we've had loads of envelopes,
05:31we've had some from all over the place, we've had some from America, Edinburgh.
05:35So you're off the postman's Christmas list, didn't you?
05:37I think so, yes. He's got a bad back now.
05:40Yeah, it's been really amazing, and a lot of the erm,
05:42the children have done cards as well, from local schools.
05:46Oh wow, that's fantastic. Yeah.
05:48So you've had some come from as far as where, do you think?
05:50America, one was New Jersey.
05:52That's crazy, isn't it?
05:53Yeah, yeah.
05:54It's crazy how this, the word can travel, isn't it?
05:57We've had somebody ringing up, they were going to send some flowers.
06:00Yeah.
06:01So, you know, it's really heartwarming.
06:04Yeah.
06:05You know, the response from the public.
06:07It's special isn't it, 100 years?
06:08Oh yes.
06:09We need to make a fuss of her, don't we?
06:10Very much so, it's amazing achievements.
06:12Yeah, yeah.
06:13Well done to all involved here at Roxburgh.
06:15Yeah.
06:16Yeah.
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