LOCKDOWN restrictions prevented a full-scale party being held for a Chobham woman’s 100th birthday, but a group of carers made sure the special occasion was celebrated.

They arrived at Eileen Sutton’s home with gifts and balloons to mark the day she became a centenarian.

Eileen’s son and daughter and one of her granddaughters also joined the gathering in her garden on The Grange retirement estate.

The occasion was arranged by the Chertsey office of Carers at Home, whose staff call in every day to help Eileen live independently. Ten carers were there to congratulate her on reaching the age of 100 and present her with gifts of an engraved vase, a personalised lap tray and a cushion.

Eileen was born on June 28 1920 at Earlsfield, near Wandsworth in South London. As she grew up, she developed a talent for dressmaking and won a scholarship to train as a court dressmaker at Hammersmith Trade School for Girls.

On completing the course, she got a job with fashion house Paquin in Dover Street, Mayfair. The company was owned by a Parisian couturier with an international business stretching from Paris to Buenos Aries.

Eileen, who moved to Chobham from Wimbledon in 1986, says she thoroughly enjoyed her career in dressmaking, tailoring and making soft furnishings. She was always busy with work and keeping an interest in fashion trends, and continued sewing well into her 90s.

For more pictures and more on this story, get the 2 July edition of the News & Mail