Ava celebrates 103rd birthday at Pelton Grange Care Home

CHESTER-le-Street resident Ava Dodd has celebrated her 103^rd birthday with friends and family at Pelton Grange Care Home.

Born on the brink of WW1, Ada has lived in Great Lumley all her married life, only moving to the Front Street based care home in May 2014.

She married at 22 to William ‘Billy’ Dodd. She had worked in the service industry before becoming a cook at Chester Le Street Hospital.

At the outbreak of WW2 in 1939, Ada began working at the Royal Ordnance Factory in Birtley, alongside 950,000 other women around the UK employed to produce munitions for the war effort.

She later worked as Head Cook for Trustees Savings Durham until her retirement 39 years ago.

Born on 19^th July 1914, Ada is the eldest daughter of 12 siblings.

She and Billy have one daughter, Jean. They have five grandchildren, five great grandchildren and three great great grandchildren.

Many of her family visited Pelton Grange Care Home to wish Ada a happy birthday.

After shedding a tear at the celebrations, she said: “How lovely, thank you.”

Les Burnett, home manager of Pelton Grange Care Home, said: “Ada is an absolute delight to care for.

“It was a real pleasure to help celebrate such an amazing milestone with Ada and her family. There’s wasn’t a dry eye in the house when we sang happy birthday.”