SHE WAS born in the year a treaty formally ended the First World War and women in three European countries were given the vote.

Vera Bullock, who lives at Ashley Lodge care home in New Milton has seen a huge amount of change since she was born in 1919.

Now Vera has celebrated her 100th birthday at a party attended by the town mayor, Cllr David Rice-Mundy, and Hampshire entertainer Retro Rita.

Friends, family and care home staff joined her for a party which included nostalgic songs from as far back as the 1920s.

Daily Echo:

Cllr Rice-Mundy chatted to each of the residents before helping staff present Vera with a birthday cake.

General manager Jessica Rolfe said: “It’s always great fun celebrating residents’ birthdays and Vera’s celebration was particularly special because it was such a huge milestone.”

Vera and her late husband Charles were married at Eastleigh Baptist Church in 1942 and had a daughter, Ann, in 1946.

Later that year they decided to carry out missionary work and went to Ceylon on behalf of the Baptist Missionary Society.

Daily Echo:

After returning to the UK in the late 1940s the family moved to New Eltham in south-east London. Charles became minister of nearby Sidcup Baptist Church and remained in the post for 18 years.

The family moved to Thornhill, Southampton, in 1967 but Vera and Ann relocated to Hedge End following Charles’s death in 1972.

A few years later Vera moved to Lower Ashley Road in New Milton and became a member of Ashley Baptist Church. She has lived at Ashley Lodge since the age of 94.

The BUPA-run facility is a purpose-built home which caters for people who need nursing or residential care, including those living with dementia.