The Heights looked more like the set of Strictly Come Dancing recently as celebrations took place to mark the 103rd birthday of Freda Lambert.

Joined by her son John Lambert and his wife Val the celebrations began with Bucks Fizz followed by a ballroom dancing show courtesy of local Latin and Ballroom Dance school, LK Dancing. This was at the request of Freda, an avid dancing and music lover whose favourite dances include the Foxtrot, Cha Cha Cha and the Samba.

Freda, her fellow residents and close family enjoyed a 30 minute ballroom performance and even requested an encore! Following the main event, residents joined Freda for High Tea complete with some of Freda’s favourites which included grilled salmon and new potatoes.

Thanking Blesson Thomas, the home manager and his team at The Heights, John Lambert said:

I cannot thank the team at The Heights enough – the home is like a 5 star hotel with the added bonus of nursing care! Their kindness and effort to help celebrate my mother’s 103rd birthday was absolutely wonderful. My mother was over the moon with the Ballroom Dancers, as it brought back happy memories from when she and my Father used to go dancing and won their Bronze and Silver medals.

Asked for the secret to living such a long and healthy life, Freda said:

I have always eaten well, stayed active and been interested in life. I attended a catholic school and had a very strict upbringing, which I think played a part - it taught me how to get by in life. I’ve seen so much in my time but I particularly remember the death of King George V and the marriage of the Queen and Prince Philip.