Hilda Mary Swarbrick 103 (19/09/1917)

We are honouring Women’s History Month by celebrating the empowering women here at Cherrytree Care Home. Today we will be celebrating our very own, Hilda Mary Swarbrick. We have had the utmost privilege of getting to know her through the years and we wanted to share her exciting life with you all.  

Born on 19th of September 1917, Hilda grew up in Sutton In The Elms surrounded by the beautiful Leicestershire countryside. Her parents had eight children, to which Hilda was the youngest. Although she was incredibly close to all of her siblings, Hilda has admitted her favourite was her sister, Dorothy.  

Hilda’s childhood was filled with family, love and music. She went on many holidays with her family to Jersey and travelled abroad to holiday destinations such as Spain and Yugoslavia. Her Father, George Gurney, played the violin and the piano. Each time the sweet melody of the instruments would echo through her home, it would ignite her love for music even more. It resonated with Hilda so much so it continued into her adult life as her husband, Victor, played the saxophone in a band. 

After meeting Victor, the two lovebirds married each other in a Church outside of Coalville. On her wedding day, Hilda wore a navy and white-striped suit and looked absolutely breath-taking. As she is never one to shy away from hard work, Hilda and her husband built their entire home on the Brooke in Broughton Astley with their bare hands. They both were determined to make it as comfortable and homely as they possibly could. 

While her husband went away to work, managing Mattsons Furgasons, Hilda too went to work as a Lollipop Lady. For a decade she was adored by many, always had sweets in hand to give to the children. In her spare time, Hilda and her husband would spend the evenings dancing her favourite dance - The Waltz. 

Hilda’s dating advice to anyone out there is to find someone who can make you laugh.

In addition to sharing her love with her husband and her son, David, Hilda also had enough to give to her beloved dog Paddy and her adorable cat Kitty. Her kind nature, full heart, and generosity is something she has carried throughout her life. From making clothes with her Mother and Sisters to sewing clothes for her family. Hilda loves to knit, a passion she continues to pursue at Cherrytree. She lovingly knits blankets and scarves and sends them to children across the globe.  

As an inspiration to many, we asked Hilda to share some advice with you all. Her wise words are “to live a happy clean life.”