An Ashington woman is celebrating her 102nd birthday with her family and the staff at Holmside Residential Care Home in Bedlington. Margaret Pehaligan, who goes by Peggy served during World War Two, and was stationed down in Cornwall where she met her husband Les, who sadly passed away 12 years ago.
They lived in Cornwall for a while before returning to the North East, as Peggy moved back to her native Ashington, working as a swimming instructor. She has a son in Australia, also named Les, and the rest of her family are mainly based in Scotland, but they will often call and visit to support Peggy and staff at the care home.
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Several members of her family were in attendance today, when she celebrated her birthday with balloons and lots of photos. The staff of Holmside also posed for photos, with senior carer Carol Gore talking about Peggy and describing her personality.
"Peggy is really friendly and will talk to absolutely anyone, but she can also be quite feisty when she wants to be. When she says no it means no, and she definitely keeps us on our toes which I think is such a great thing.
"Her family are amazing and always support everything that we do. She is the smallest lady we have here but her personality is the biggest. She remembers a lot even being in advanced stage of dementia, and she is always very happy which is such a rewarding thing to see as someone that looks after her."
Peggy will have further celebrations on Saturday, with a buffet and another visit from her family to come, and staff are looking forward to her face lighting up once again when they arrive.
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