A long-serving volunteer at Ealing Hospital has marked her 104th birthday alongside colleagues and regulars at the Friends Cafe, where she has given more than two decades of service and become a familiar face to staff and patients.
Beryl Carr celebrated the milestone at the cafe, where she has volunteered for over 20 years. Born in 1922, Beryl has lived through extraordinary moments of history, from the reign of George V to the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb.
Last year, she was named the world’s oldest female volunteer by Guinness World Records.
During the second world war she survived the Blitz, including being bombed out of her home, and contributed to the war effort by sewing barrage balloons and working as a fire watcher while air raids took place across London.
Recalling one night during the bombing, Beryl said: “We spent a lot of time in the bomb shelter in our back garden and one of the nights we chanced sleeping inside there was an air raid and the house was hit. I ended up under a cupboard covered in plaster.”
She said volunteering had played a key role in her later life, adding: “Volunteering gave me a new lease on life and it is something I would recommend to anyone regardless of their age.”
Ann Cousins, who runs the Friends Café, said: “Beryl is a bit of an institution in the hospital. Everyone knows who she is and loves chatting with her.”
