94-year-old tuck lady serving fellow care home residents

TUCK lady Ann Boothroyd is keeping her fellow care home residents in snacks after expressing she missed responsibility and a job.

The 94-year-old resident at Aden Lodge Care Home, on Long Lane, Clayton West, wanted something to keep her busy on a day-to-day.

The home’s activities coordinator Lisa McKay came up with the idea of a mobile sweet shop and Ann has since started wheeling her trolly round to her fellow residents at snack time.

Ann said: “I love it. I can go around the home and sell items to other residents as well as stop and have a little chat with everyone.

“I used to be very hard working and I missed having a job and responsibility.”

Ann was placed in a convent when she was a baby, having never known her parents or her long-lost sister.

She lived at the convent until the age of 15, when she was placed with a foster family, a doctor and his wife.

She later got a job as a bus conductor before going on to have a family of her own and becoming a housewife.

Ann and her late husband Hubert had one son, Thomas, who now has four children of his own.

Lisa McKay, activities coordinator at Aden Lodge Care Home, said: “Ann is a fantastic example of age being just a number.

“Tuck lady told me she had worked since she was 15 years old through to becoming a housewife and then until moving into Aden Lodge towards the end of last year.

“Despite being 94, she wanted to remain active and expressed how she missed having responsibility, so I thought about setting up a sweet shop for her.

“Ann absolutely loves it and so do the rest of the residents, as they get to have a chat as she’s doing her rounds, as well as buy tasty treats.

“Keeping active can be absolutely vital to residents’ wellbeing, whether that’s having a job to do, taking part in a regular exercise class, arts and crafts or all of the above.

“Creating a varied and bespoke mix of activities for our residents is something I love about my job and is central to the care we provide at Aden Lodge Care Home.”