The Mayor and Mayoress of South Tyneside have helped to celebrate a local resident’s 107th birthday, along with her friends and relatives.
Mena Larkin with the Mayor of South Tyneside, Councillor Alan Smith, and the Mayoress, Councillor Moira Smith
Mena Larkin was presented with a colourful bouquet of flowers by the Mayor, Councillor Alan Smith and Mayoress, Councillor Moira Smith, who attended her birthday afternoon tea party at Patrick Cain House, in South Shields.
Mrs Larkin was born in 1909, in South Shields, and spent her childhood growing up in and around South Frederick Street.
As a child she sold fruit and vegetables every week with her father at South Shields Market. She moved to the south of England for 10 years for her husband’s job and returned to South Tyneside in the 70’s after he passed away.
When Mrs Larkin retuned to the Borough she was one of the first to move into Patrick Cain House and she was an avid bowler, winning many competitions for her team in South Shields.
She has relatives throughout the United Kingdom from South Wales to Scotland and across England who came together to wish her happy birthday.
The Mayor said: “It was a pleasure for the Mayoress and I to meet Wilhelmina as well as her friends and relatives.
“She is a South Shields lady born and bred and shared some wonderful stories about her life in the Borough.
“One hundred and seven is a real milestone and she put it down to her love of fruit and vegetables which I think is something we could all take on board.
“The Mayoress and I thoroughly enjoyed wishing Wilhelmina a very happy birthday and wish her all the best.”
