Queen gives birthday card to centenarian
WHILE the Queen received official birthday wishes from across the nation at the weekend Her Majesty passed on her own congratulations to Cadeby resident Lucy Baxter who celebrated her 100th birthday on Sunday. Centenarian Mrs Baxter, who has lived in the village for around 60 years, received a card from the Queen in recognition of her own birthday milestone. She was guest of honour at a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party held in Cadeby Church in celebration of both remarkable women.
Villagers signed a card featuring a photograph of many of her neighbours along with Cadeby’s peacock, a regular visitor to the village, which she encourages to feed on her lawn.
The Cadeby Band, a collective of village musicians, led a rendition of Happy Birthday to You as she arrived, after which Mrs Baxter thanked everyone for their good wishes and said she was quite “overwhelmed”.
Originally from an Ibstock farming family, she worked for Wynn’s cafe in Leicester and carried out social security work during the Second World War.
Together with her late husband Fred, she ran The Crown pub at Ibstock and later had her own drapery shop in Market Bosworth next to her husband’s grocery store.
The couple had two children, Keith and Josephine, known as Jo, who died.
Mrs Baxter now has seven grandchildren and 10 greatgrandchildren who are among regular visitors to her village home.
Her daughter-in-law Sandra said: “She’s never stopped. I think that’s why she’s gone on so long.”
A photograph of Mrs Baxter celebrating at the weekend was among viewers’ pictures featured on TV during the live BBC coverage of the Queen’s charities’ parade on Sunday, Mrs Baxter’s birthday.