A surprise birthday party fit for a queen was held in a ‘little palace’ to celebrate the 90th birthday of a very special North Tyneside lady.
Dozens of friends gathered in the communal lounge at the newly refurbished retirement apartments at The Orchard, North Shields, this week to wish Muriel Haley a very happy birthday.
The sprightly 90-year-old, who was born only a few weeks apart from the Queen, was treated to an afternoon tea complete with balloons, birthday cake and candles, beautiful flowers and she even wore a tiara!
A delighted Muriel said: “I had a wonderful party, all my friends came and the staff here made sure I had a lovely day. As I’m the same age as the Queen we’ve grown up together and I’ve followed her life watching her marry and have her children and grandchildren just like me. While she lives in big castles and palaces I love it here in The Orchard. It’s absolutely beautiful, really friendly and my flat has been transformed with a lovely lounge, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom – it’s my own little palace!”
Muriel originally moved into the Orchard with her late husband George. They celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary and received a card from Her Majesty. In June last year Muriel transferred to an apartment in nearby Carlton Court while work was being carried out to modernise The Orchard complex.
This work was carried out as part of North Tyneside Council’s £300million North Tyneside Living Project, which will see more than 920 modern, independent living homes created at 26 sites across the borough by 2017.
Norma Redfearn, Elected Mayor added: “I’m so pleased Muriel had a lovely birthday and enjoys living in her apartment in The Orchard. I’m immensely proud of the North Tyneside Living project and it’s absolutely brilliant to hear from residents how happy they are.
“All the apartments are bright, contemporary and inviting. We worked hard with residents to really consider every little detail when designing them as we want to make life easier and make sure people can live independently for longer.
“While each apartment has its own personal lounge, there’s also a communal one and a therapy room which is used by professionals, including hairdressers, and a guest apartment where family and friends can stay.”
Ends