‘A quiet life and lots of reading’ is the secret of a long life, says Violet

A member of The Thame & District Day Centre was today treated to a presentation and celebration after reaching her 100th birthday, on Sunday, October 8.

Violet Bottom (centre) with Thame Day Committee Member, Claudia Baker and the Mayor of Thame, Cllr Tom Wyse

Claire Brandish, Violet’s daughter, wrote the following profile of her mother’s life:

“Violet was born in Leeds on October 8, 1917, and is the last remaining of ten children.They were a very close family although they didn’t have a lot of money as her father was a coal miner. Mum worked as a dressmaker all her working life, other than during the war, when she became a welder building tanks. She made beautiful wedding dresses for lots of her family and friends, including mine, and was still dressmaking well into her 80s.

“Mum moved to Thame with my husband, children and I when she was 70, and has lived with us ever since. My father had passed away four years earlier. Mum joined St Mary’s church and the U3A Which helped her to make lots of friends in Thame. She still attends a balance exercise class in Aylesbury which she loves and has recently joined The Thame and District Day Centre, which she really enjoys. The staff are wonderful and she takes part in lots of activities, has a nice lunch and her nails painted by Victoria. It’s good for us all to know that she has somewhere to go to socialise and enjoy herself.

“Mum had a party on her birthday with family and friends and she particularly enjoyed receiving a card from the Queen!“

Violet herself told Thame.Net that she and her husband ran a wet fish shop in Leeds in their younger days, and was presented with a framed photograph of the shop by the staff at the Day Centre and a bouquet of flowers. She put her long life down to leading a quiet life – including lots of reading, not being a drinker or a smoker but keeping active.