A FORMER Bournemouth schoolteacher has celebrated her 100th birthday.

Elisabeth Davies, a resident at Care South’s Wickmeads care home in Southbourne, was born the year the First World War broke out in Britain and first moved to Dorset in the 1930s to work as a teacher at a primary school.

She taught at schools in Verwood and Bournemouth, working her way up to the position of headmistress.

A keen gardener, Elisabeth enjoyed spending hours outdoors in the garden with her long-term companion, Linda.

The two women loved the Dorset countryside and took regular trips to the New Forest and Stourhead, as well as further afield to Scotland and Austria.

Old friends and fellow residents helped Elisabeth celebrate her birthday, and she was presented with flowers, cards and presents at a special party at the home.

Her goddaughter, Catherine Timmons, and her daughters Charlotte and Gabriella, presented Elisabeth with a special birthday cake, shaped like a pile of presents, and Charlotte treated residents to a selection of pieces on her violin, while Gabriella handed out gifts of 100-shaped biscuits.

Karen Taylor, Wickmeads’ home manager, said: “We were delighted to host Elisabeth’s 100th birthday at the home.

“Elisabeth is a very popular resident here and we had a brilliant time celebrating.

“Her goddaughter, Catherine, made a speech about Elisabeth and it was lovely to hear about her life before we knew her.”

Catherine said: “Elisabeth is a remarkable lady who has been a part of our family for as long as I can remember.

“She has been a fabulous, conscientious godmother to me and a loyal and constant friend to my mother, Carol, through thick and thin.”