Meet Nellie Alker who has just celebrated her 104th birthday at a Sheffield care home

Staff at Nether Edge care home Grange Crescent made sure it was a day to remember as resident Nellie Alker celebrated her 104th birthday.

Last year Nellie celebrated her birthday in isolation as the Covid-19 pandemic saw all homes in the Sheffcare chain across the city closed to visitors.

But with lockdown now finally easing, Nellie was actually on a short break with son Adrian and her family in Meadowhead when she celebrated her 104th birthday.

The team at Grange Crescent care home decided to host an outdoor birthday get together for the special occasion, complete with cake and fizz.

“Nellie is a lovely lady who takes a lot of care in her appearance, which is very important to her and also to her family,” said Grange Crescent manager Asha Oliver.

“She has been with us over a year now and is very much part of the Grange Crescent family.”

Nellie was born in Lancashire in 1917 and grew up with mum and dad Lillian and Sydney, brother Sydney and sister Janet.

After leaving school, she went to work in a pharmacy, a career she continued through most of her working life.

She was in her 20s when she met Bill, the man who would become her husband and father to her son Adrian.

Nellie still recalls how she and Bill honeymooned in Blackpool and then returned to the resort every year, where they enjoyed dancing in the famous Blackpool Tower Ballroom.