A 100-year-old woman got an amazing surprise - when a star of her favourite soap visited her care home.
Dorothy Crawshaw, a retired school cook, met Emmerdale’s Emma Atkins who has played Charity Dingle since 2000, one of her favourite characters in the show.
The pair met at Lavender Hills Care Home based in Bury, Greater Manchester where Dorothy was also gifted a shared message from the cast of Emmerdale and a bottle of champagne.
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Dorothy has been watching Emmerdale for 35 years when it was originally called ‘Emmerdale Farm' and has watched all of Emma Atkin’s episodes.
Dorothy was born on the 4th July 1923 where she grew up in Ramsbottom and was an only child to Thomas, a WW1 veteran and Helen Crowder.
She worked as a school cook for the majority of her life at different schools such as Balladen Primary School in Rawtenstall and Hazlehurst Primary School in Ramsbottom.
Dorothy married her husband, Thomas Crawshaw, in 1944 who sadly passed away in 2007 at the age of 84 leaving behind four children.
When it was determined that Dorothy needed residential care in November 2020, she moved to Lavender Hills Care Home, part of Millennium Care Homes.
When she woke up on her birthday one of the staff said "It's your 100th birthday Dorothy" with her response being, “I’ve made it."
Dorothy Crawshaw said: “I’ve been watching the show since it was Emmerdale Farm, donkeys of years, and I still watch it now. I took my granddaughter to the set a long time ago.
“This has been one of my best birthdays, I remember Charity Dingle, she brought me a beautiful bunch of flowers! It was lovely. The video was very, very good. I had a really great day with my family. Emma was really nice; it was a big surprise.”
Ann Crawshaw, Dorothy’s daughter said: “Mum loved Emmerdale, it was her favourite programme, and she would not answer her phone if you called when it was on.”
“We want to say a huge thank you to Emma Atkins from Emmerdale and all the actors and actresses who recorded birthday messages to mum. It made her 100th birthday so special and it’s a day that her family will never forget.”
Emma Atkins said: “Sending lots of love to Lavender Hills Care Home! Today I was invited to a special day, Dorothy’s 100th Birthday!
“I feel quite privileged that I was invited to these amazing grounds. Thank you for having me and Dorothy have a beautiful birthday!”
