Party time at care home as resident who has lived in Eston all her life celebrates 101st birthday

Birthday girl Mary Hasnips has baked hundreds of delicious cakes in her time.

But to celebrate her 101st birthday, she tucked into one she didn’t have to make.

Born Mary Gill on February 19, 1914, and raised in Eston’s Talbot hotel, which her parents ran, Mary has lived in Eston all her life.

The eldest of three children - she had a brother, Colin, and sister Nancy - home until last June was The Cottage in Jubilee Road.

But since then, she has settled in well at the Astune Rise Nursing Home on Eston High Street, where a fun party was held in her honour yesterday.

Mary with husband Bill.

After cutting the cake and enjoying the music, Mary recalled her first job - at Blackett’s Bakery in South Bank.

She said: “It was a small family bakehouse. We baked the stuff at the back and sold it at the front - it was really popular.

“Whatever was on the go, we’d make - pies, small cakes, large cakes.

“I’ve made hundreds of cakes for other people. They used to bring the stuff to me and say ‘do this for us Mary!’”

Married for more than 60 years to her late husband Bill, a crane driver at British Steel, Mary recalls he was a shy fellow at first.

She said: “His mother used to come to a house next door to ours. He wanted to ask me out but didn’t want to do it himself, so he asked his mother to do it instead.

“For our first date, we walked to Kirkleatham and back. He had a big bag of sugared almonds but I hated them, so I had a pocketful when I got home!

“We did a lot of walking and had lots of picnics. But we had a wonderful time - we travelled all over.”

Mary with husband Bill

Mary and Bill had a son, the late Kenneth, who emigrated to South Africa and who Mary used to love to visit.

She said: “It’s wonderful out there. The Kruger National Park - if anyone wants a good holiday, that’s the place to go.”

And the keen member of Eston Congregational Church, who puts her longevity down to not drinking or smoking, is full of praise for Astune Rise. She said: “It’s wonderful here - the food, the staff, everything.”

Home manager Joan Newmarsh said: “Everybody loves Mary - the staff and residents think she’s marvellous.”

And after blowing the candles out, with a little help, on her 101st birthday cake, Mary smiled: “I’ve had a wonderful life.”