Adventurous Hartlepool great-grandmother - who climbed the Statue of Liberty - celebrates 100th birthday

Super Hartlepool centenarian Florence May Spencelayh has celebrated her 100th birthday in fantastic style.
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Florence, nee Parker, was joined by her family as she marked a very special day in Hartlepool with a look back on a very remarkable life which included climbing the Statue of Liberty and flying to Cyprus twice a year for decades to visit family.

Originally hailing from Devonport near Plymouth, she was brought up in Cowbridge, in South Wales.

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Romance came during the Second World War when she joined the Wrens and was working in the office of Hensol Castle, which was an asylum for patients with mental and learning disabilities before it became a makeshift hospital for wounded soldiers.

Florence May Spencelayh who has celebrated her 100th birthday.Florence May Spencelayh who has celebrated her 100th birthday.
Florence May Spencelayh who has celebrated her 100th birthday.

"It was there that she met the love of her life, Raymond Spencelayh from Hartlepool,” said daughter Janet Spencelayh.

The couple went on to marry at St Hilda’s Church in Hartlepool on July 9, 1946 and had three children who were Allan, Colin and Janet.

Janet told us: “She enjoyed camping, caravanning and travelling abroad.”

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Florence enjoys her 100th birthday with lots of relatives to share her big day.Florence enjoys her 100th birthday with lots of relatives to share her big day.
Florence enjoys her 100th birthday with lots of relatives to share her big day.
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Sadly, Florence became a widow in 1978 when she was only 57 years old. But she kept up her love of travelling and, with her daughter, visited many exciting places all over the world.

Destinations beckoned such as Canada, Thailand, China, Hong Kong and Macau and Florence made sure she packed plenty of adventure into each of her visits.

“She went paragliding in Mexico, sailed the QE2 to New York, flew in a helicopter over the city and climbed the Statue of Liberty,” said Janet.

"She took an elephant ride in India, visited the Taj Mahal, saw shows in Las Vegas and sailed the Nile on a felucca. The list is endless.”

A big day for Florence as she enjoys her 100th birthday.A big day for Florence as she enjoys her 100th birthday.
A big day for Florence as she enjoys her 100th birthday.
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In 1991 her daughter moved to Cyprus, and Florence – who celebrated her milestone birthday on October 15 – visited two to three times a year over the next two decades until she was 90.

In later years, she still has plenty to keep her busy.

“She loves bingo, doing crosswords, 1000-piece jigsaw puzzles and still enjoys knitting toys,” said Janet who flew with relatives back to Hartlepool to join Florence for the celebrations.

"She has six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren and is a huge fan of Cliff Richard. She loves apple pie, bread and jam and the odd tipple of Irish cream.”

Florence with her special cake for a special day.Florence with her special cake for a special day.
Florence with her special cake for a special day.

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