Nicola, the Lifestyle Coordinator at Hunters Down Care Home in Cambridge sat down with Janet, who lives at the home, to learn all about her life.
Janet was born in Watford and lived there up until she got married. She grew up very closely with her brother Tony, and they were both responsible for looking after the family pets: a rabbit, a guinea pig, and a mouse.
Janet admits that she was a very shy and timid girl in school, which made it harder to make friends. But she did very well in school and her favourite subjects were science and maths. Janet really loved extra-curricular activities, such as spending time outdoors, horse riding, and taking dance classes.
Once she had finished school, Janet worked in an office and a bank. Her husband also had a variety of jobs, working as a milkman before training in engineering. He also served in the army.
Janet really loved to attend dances, and it was at a dance hall where she met her army husband. The two were quickly married and moved to “Turnpike Cottage” in Great Staughton/Bolnhurst. This was the family home for many years and was where they raised their four children: Felicity, Fiona, Clive and Verity. Janet recalls the big garden, where her husband would spend hours potting and pruning.
Church has always been very important to Janet, and she used to go every Sunday. One of Janet’s friends persuaded her to join the church choir and a youth fellowship group, where they would all enjoy coffee mornings, tennis and walking holidays together.
In general, Janet mainly holidayed in the UK, with Bognor Regis being a firm favourite. However, once the children left home, Janet and her husband enjoyed trips to Switzerland, France and Germany.
Now Janet lives happily at Hunters Down Care Home, where she particularly enjoys arts and crafts, word searches, crosswords, quizzes and gardening. She is also a very big fan of when the kitchen serves Sunday roasts.