Kidlington-based war veteran celebrates 100th birthday

Verna Setter, who lives in Kidlington at Lincroft Meadow Care Home, turned 100 on April 3, celebrating with a socially distanced afternoon tea and recorded video messages from her family.

Mrs Setter, who was born in Todmorden, in West Yorkshire, became a dress-making apprentice when she was just fourteen years old.

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War veteran Verna Setter

When she turned 21, she joined the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force during the second world war, working with signalling and communications.

To this day the centenarian can still remember Morse Code.

Mrs Setter said: “I’ve had an exceptionally good life, with no illnesses since the age of five, when I had measles.

“I’ve really just lived an ordinary life.”

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Mrs Setter has two daughters, Barabara Alexander and Carol, four grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren.

She met her husband Jim at a railway station when she was working for the air force.

Mrs Setter’s daughter compared their meeting to ‘a scene out of a Brief Encounter’.

After her husband passed away in 2013, Mrs Setter and her youngest daughter moved to Oxfordshire to be closer to family.

In 2020 Mrs Setter moved into the care home in Kidlington.

Ms Alexander described her mother as ‘a proud Northerner, who is made of stern stuff.’

She added: “My Mother has always been a private person who doesn’t like any fuss so it was actually very fitting that Covid restrictions meant that the celebrations were quite kept to a minimum.

“The Team at Lincroft organised the perfect celebration – a delicious champagne afternoon tea with Mum’s dearest and nearest.

"It felt absolutely right to mark such a special day in this way.”

The care home's kitchen staff made sure all of Mrs Setter's personal favourites were on the menu, including smoked salmon on brown bread and an ''extremely lemony lemon drizzle cake'.

Mrs Setter also received her birthday card from the Queen - which she had been looking forward to.

Elaine Ratcliffe, Lincroft Meadow home manager, said: “Verna is a highly-regarded member of our home and under normal circumstances, we would have celebrated with a big party as we love any excuse to celebrate.

"My brilliant team were determined to ensure the day was as wonderful as it could be and it was lovely to see how much Verna enjoyed herself.

"Our chef made a beautiful cake and catered for an intimate afternoon tea and the video messages from Verna’s family, who couldn’t join us, made it all the more special.”