Margaret Littler celebrated her 100th birthday in style… with a little help from Be Well. Just six weeks before her big day, Margaret had been referred for support by the NHS Community React Team as she was unsteady on her feet. But with a helping hand from Gill, a specialist wellbeing coach from Be Well’s active ageing team, she was able to achieve her goal of having a dance at her party.
“It was really good,” Margaret says of her special birthday bash at Leigh Cricket, Tennis and Bowling Club. “We had a lovely chicken dinner and there was wine on the table, of course! “There were around 60 of us altogether and they came from all over; Blackpool, the North East, Ireland. It was so good to see everyone. “We had a DJ and, yes, I did manage to have a dance – though my family insisted on holding both my hands. But I’m not as helpless as I look. If they’d have let go, I would have been raving!”
Born 28 September, 1924, Margaret’s resilience a century on is remarkable – bolstered by her recent programme of simple, home- based strength and balance exercises. “She’s come on so much since I first met her,” says Gill. “When we first met, she was holding on to the dining table to get up from her chair but now she can get up unaided. She is absolutely marvellous for her age.” Gill has come for her latest appointment bearing a bouquet of flowers on behalf of the Be Well team, while Margaret was thrilled to receive a “lovely” birthday card from King Charles and Queen Camilla. But the greatest gift of all has been her health.
“At my party, my little great granddaughter, who’s about six, said to me: ‘Grandma, you’re 100 years old… and you’re not dead yet!’ I said ‘isn’t that good!’ and she said ‘It’s God!’.” Margaret, however, tells Borough Life the secret of her longevity isn’t anything as mysterious as divine intervention. “It’s movement,” she says. “You know how they talk about ‘the joy of movement’? Well, it’s true! “I’ve always exercised. I used to play cricket, and when the kids were young we used to go skating and swimming. Not that I could really do it… but you have a bit of fun when you can’t do it! “I’ve always wanted to be fit. I didn’t want to be slim, I wanted to be fit. I used to go to the gym until I was 90, and I’ve always done something. “The last thing I did for exercise was Tai chi, so that’s something I’d like to do again. “Having Gill come and help me do these exercises has been really important. I still want to be fit. I want to be on the dance floor… not just on the floor!”
Do you or someone you know need a little help to stay active in later life? You’ll find self-help guides, plus information on strength and balance classes and other activities, at home and in the community, at bewellwigan.org/active-ageing
Paul’s recovery is an inspiring tale
Resilient resident Paul Sutton is getting his fitness journey back on track – just six months after quick-thinking gym staff saved his life. Paul, 59, suffered a cardiac arrest at Robin Park Leisure Centre in April, seconds after stepping off a treadmill following a 5k run. Thankfully, Be Well’s highly-trained gym team sprang into action to deliver CPR and defibrillator shocks that kept him alive so he could be rushed to Manchester Royal Infirmary for emergency heart surgery.
“I ended up having four stents fitted and I’ve even got my own defib now, an ICD, in my chest,” explains Paul, who’d only joined the gym in February after a high blood pressure scare. He’d made remarkable progress in the space of two months, going from 17st 8lbs to a much leaner 15 stone through a combination of diet and exercise. And, after medical reassurance that his heart attack was simply “the luck of the draw”, he’s determined not to let his setback stop him being healthy and active as he approaches his 60th birthday. “I did ask the doctor whether I could have been overdoing it but they said no, it was just one of those things and I was lucky I was here when it happened.”
All Be Well fitness instructors receive training so they know exactly what to do in the event of such an emergency, and for Robin Park staff Gus O’Donnell, Darren Bibby, Declan Goodfellow, Daniel Hardman and Chris Rigby it proved invaluable.
Paul says: “If it wasn’t for their quick thinking I wouldn’t be here, so I’m incredibly grateful.”