Nellie celebrates 100th birthday with her family in Stratford

FOUR generations came together on Saturday to celebrate a special occasion for someone with a claim to fame.

Nellie Gould celebrated her 100th birthday at Trinity Manor Care Home in Stratford, though she’s only a recent arrival in the town. She was born and bred in Bidford and her family believe that makes her the oldest living Bidfordian.

The youngest of Alfred and Fanny Foster’s four children, all her schooling was in Bidford, first at the infants school then the junior school, followed by Bidford High School.

At 15 she went to work in Solihull, living in, as a childminder.

When the Second World War broke out she went back to Bidford, to work at the ammunitions factory in Alcester, cycling there and back each day, doing shift work either 6am-2pm or 2pm-10pm.

After the war, the factory closed and Nellie went to work at the needle factory in Studley.

A further change saw her work on a farm, where she learnt to drive tractors, which proved good practice for her to drive her first car – a Morris Traveller she bought for £100.

She will also be known to many in the village for a long stint as caretaker of the Crawford Memorial Hall.

On the 12th June 1948, Nellie married Charles Henry Gould, known as Harry, at Bidford Methodist Church.

In 1951 a new estate was built, Crompton Avenue in Bidford, where they moved into their new home. They had three children, Barry, Keith and Diane.

Diane told the Herald: “Dad worked for a building company in Bidford. They met because he used to leave his bike at my grandma’s and that’s how they met.

“Mum was widowed in 1991, but Nellie stayed in the family home, with her love of gardening, for 70 years in total, until 2021 when, through frailty, she went to live at Cedar Lawn Care Home. When that closed, she moved to Trinity Manor.”