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With the number of centenarians having doubled since 2002, we look at…
‘Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you…’ Betty Warne’s family and friends had gathered together for a garden party to celebrate their loved one. And it was no wonder they had made such an effort, as this was no ordinary birthday.
Betty, a former lab technician from South East London, was turning 100 years old – quite the milestone in anyone’s book. But although this was once considered a rare feat, nowadays more and more people are becoming centenarians. In fact, official statistics released just this year show that the number of people hitting 100 years old have doubled since 2002, with an estimated 15,120 people aged 100 years or older now living in England and Wales in 2022.
And Betty is one of them. Born in August 1923 in Kennington, London, she has lived through two centuries, a world war, five monarchs and 24 prime ministers and has experienced things most of us have only read about. ‘The second world war started when I was at school and I was evacuated to Yeovil with my sister. Eventually, I moved to Harrogate to join the WAAF where I repaired the RAF radios.’
When peace was finally declared and she returned to London, Betty was married in 1950 and had two children of her own. While she stopped working to bring them up, once they were older, she got a job as a lab technician in the language department of a school.
Over the decades, she has watched some incredible changes and developments take place. ‘There are so many things now that would have seemed quite unbelievable when I was younger – the internet, for one thing. And gender equality is another.’ But while of course many people dream of living to such a ripe old age, there are hardships that come with outliving most of your friends – and family.
Over the years, Betty has had the privilege of watching her family bloom – she has two children, five grandchildren and six great grandchildren. But she has also similarly witnessed many loved ones pass away, including her husband and siblings. She’s also lost many friends along the way. Lots of their children attended Betty’s 100th birthday party in their place.
And, despite remaining healthy until recently and living in an apartment in a care home with her own kitchen, her mobility is gradually becoming more reduced. ‘It has been devastating to lose my independence. I’ve gradually lost my hearing over the years, and I had to give up driving when I was 92.
For the last six months, I haven’t been able to stand up alone.’
This is something that co-founder of the Oxford Longevity Project, Leslie Kenny, believes that we should be focusing on – not so much on expanding our age span, but our health span. Becau
