Duns welcomes a new centenarian!

Ana Maria celebrated her centenary with friends in Duns and with four generations of her family in Kelso.

On receiving her special royal card, she said: “I was thrilled to receive such a beautiful card from King Charles and Queen Camilla. My sister-in-law, Jean Mann, was one of the last to receive a card from Queen Eizabeth and I was one of the first to get one from King Charles!”

Born in Glasgow to a Scottish mother and a Spanish father, the family moved to Barcelona when she was three.

On the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, Ana Maria returned to Glasgow with her mother and her younger sister, Mercedes.

In 1939, Ana Maria and her sister were evacuated to Dumfriesshire where she completed her education at Dumfries Academy and the Edinburgh College of Art, before volunteering for the Land Army.

She was posted to Lambden Farm near Greenlaw, where she met her husband-to-be, Ralph, and they were married on Christmas Day, 1945, and the couple spent the next 21 years there with their two sons, Terry and Norman.

She has lived in Duns for the past 56 years and has been an active member of the community, particularly with art and music activities.

She was an active member of the Berwickshire Art Society, was involved in the Greenlaw Concert Party in the 1950s and 60s, and played church organ in Greenlaw and at Christ Church, Duns, for many years.

Ana Maria expressed her gratitude to family and friends for all the gifts and flowers she received.

She added: “I don’t know what the secret is to my long life. When I was a child in Spain, I was very frail and suffered from a variety of illnesses including tuberculosis. By my early teens, I was cured of all of them.

“Fit as a fiddle, and I still am! Perhaps it’s because I’ve always enjoyed my life and I’ve always been involved in a wide variety of activities. I’ve never lost my appreciation of beautiful things, especially flowers or my curiosity.”

Particular thanks go to Fraser, Ryan and Scott at Maxwells’ coffee shop in Duns for organising the party.