NOT many families can say they were there for their great-grandmother’s 21st birthday, but 84 years after the birth of their much-loved matriarch, the Parkinsons were on hand to celebrate a very special Leap Year birthday.
Ida Parkinson, Worcestershire’s first Macmillan nurse, embraced the rare chance to celebrate her ‘real’ birthday – which only comes round every four years – last weekend with four generations of her family.
The 84-year-old, who lives in Astwood Bank, is a Leap Year baby and celebrated her 21st birthday 40 years after becoming a Macmillan Nurse in Redditch.
And it’s a year full of celebrations, with one of Ida’s daughters due to turn 60, a grand-daughter 30 and a great-grand-daughter three.
Proud daughter Alison baked mum a huge 21st birthday cake which was presented to Ida at an afternoon tea on Saturday (February 27) at Grafton Manor.
Alison said: “It was a really wonderful day. Not very many families can say they were there to celebrate their mother, grandmother or even great-grandmother’s 21st birthday.”
And the fun didn’t stop there. Sunday saw the family host a birthday gathering at Ida’s home with plenty of cake still on hand to be enjoyed.
Irish-born Ida said: “It was a beautiful cake,” she added. “Alison made every flower on the cake and we all really enjoyed it.”
Inspirational Ida was the first hospital-based Macmillan Nurse in the county, working at the Alexandra Hospital following eight years as the first community-based Macmillan Nurse in Worcestershire.
She was also instrumental in setting up the Primrose Hospice and was nominated for Worcestershire Woman of the Year.
In honour of her dedication to serving the Redditch community, Ida was presented with the Rotary’s highest accolade – the Paul Harris Fellowship in 2008 and received Macmillan’s Platinum Award in 2010.
The following year saw Ida presented with he highest honour Macmillan Cancer Support can bestow on a volunteer – The Douglas Macmillan Award – exactly 100 years after he founded Macmillan Cancer Support.
