A multi-lingual retired midwife who has just turned 100 believes her longevity is down to good genes and good luck.
May McEntee celebrated her big day with friends and family at Mount House & Severn View Care Home in Shrewsbury.
She helped make her own Victoria Sponge birthday cake and received a card from King Charles.
When the Shropshire Star visited her, May, who speaks English, French and Spanish, sang in Spanish and told us about her life.
May McEntee celebrated her big day with friends and family at Mount House & Severn View Care Home in Shrewsbury.
She helped make her own Victoria Sponge birthday cake and received a card from King Charles.
When the Shropshire Star visited her, May, who speaks English, French and Spanish, sang in Spanish and told us about her life.
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00:00 I'm half French and half Scottish. One came from Algeria, North Africa, and my dad came
00:08 from the Orkney Islands. I was born and brought up in Algeria. After the war, the Second World
00:14 War, and we could start travelling, I went right up to the north of Scotland to Aberdeen
00:22 where I started doing nursing. When I'd finished my nursing and I was a state registered nurse,
00:28 I went down to Guy's Hospital in London to do midwifery. I speak French with my sister,
00:34 she phones and we'll be on the phone. Spanish, well I can sing to you songs in Spanish, say
00:41 'Puedo hablar un poquito de' yes. I have not had difficulties in speaking languages,
00:50 so it's very easy for me to say yes. I couldn't converse for a long time in Spanish anymore,
00:55 but French of course I do. My sister picks up the phone now, we'll speak French, and
00:59 my girls both speak French quite fluently. Well it was all outside hobbies, swimming
01:05 and tennis and walking, yes we did a lot of walking, everybody had dogs. But swimming
01:16 and tennis were definitely the things you did outside automatically. I think that also
01:24 mentally I still feel that I can go on with Spanish or French now any minute. Je peux
01:31 parler le français tout de suite si vous voulez que je parle. Si je peux parler un
01:35 poquito de espagnol, señor, that's no problem, I've done it all my life. So I'm just lucky
01:40 not to be ill. If you're ill and you're in pain, I think that changes your personality
01:46 completely. I've only lived in Shrewsbury since the pandemic. The Mount made me feel,
01:52 no, made all of us feel that it was a party for everybody. It was really a party for the
02:01 residents of the Mount. Had a beautiful cake, the atmosphere is here, and as an old nurse
02:08 and midwife having dealt with people all my life, the respect is permanently shown to
02:16 the residents. And I find that a very important thing. As an elderly person, I can honestly,
02:24 I can say truthfully that the atmosphere is of a family atmosphere in this place. And
02:32 this to me, and to most of us, is a tremendous asset. I mean, the staff will come and put
02:39 a hand around your shoulder and say, "Not feeling too good today." Well, you know, they've
02:44 noticed that. So it is a home, there's no doubt about it. Yeah, I got a lovely card
02:52 from the King and Queen, which is in civilian clothes, which is absolutely lovely. No crowns
02:58 on them, they just look like a normal couple. And it's up in my room, yeah.
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