Alma Day celebrates 100th birthday in Stowmarket with a ride to the party in her first car
Birthday surprise: Alma Lilian Day gets a ride in an Austin 7, the first car she owned in the early 1940's, to celebrate her 100th birthday at the Rookery Bowls Club in Stowmarket - Credit: Archant
Centenarian Alma Day celebrated her birthday in time-honoured style on Saturday when the vehicle taking her to her party also whisked her back to her youth.
Birthday surprise: Alma Lilian Day gets a ride in an Austin 7, the first car she owned in the early 1940's, to celebrate her 100th birthday at the Rookery Bowls Club in Stowmarket - Credit: Archant
As Ms Day prepared for her short journey across Stowmarket from Woodfield Court care home to Rookery Bowls Club she had no idea the car sent to pick her up was the same model as the first one she ever bought – an Austin 7.
And thrilled nephew Howard Cracknell said: “She was overwhelmed. She certainly wasn’t expecting it.”
Ms Day, who worked as an officer in the Salvation Army, was getting ready to celebrate her 100th birthday with around 30 members of her family when the vintage vehicle pulled up.
Mr Cracknell said it brought memories flooding back for his aunt who purchased a similar car in 1944.
Birthday surprise: Alma Lilian Day gets a ride in an Austin 7, the first car she owned in the early 1940's, to celebrate her 100th birthday at the Rookery Bowls Club in Stowmarket - Credit: Archant
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“Her first car was an Austin 7,” he explained. “It was the icing on the cake for her and she certainly lapped it up.”
The 1933-vintage Austin then took Ms Day to a second party held to celebrate her milestone.
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“Her birthday was actually on October 29,” Mr Cracknell explained. “She spent that at Woodfield Court. She had lots of visitors on that day.
“This was an opportunity to get about 30 of her family with her.
“We had the lunch at the bowls club and one of her great nephews is a professional pianist so her only request was that he played.
“He travelled up from Somerset and played for her.”
Mr Cracknell added other family members have come to Suffolk from Nottingham, Peterborough and Liverpool of the occasion.
“She was just overwhelmed to see them all again and share this occasion with them,” Mr Cracknell added.
“There was also a slideshow of her life. She enjoyed that. She was lost for words.”
