School students help Sevenoaks resident celebrate her 102nd birthday
Vicky blows out her candles
VICKY Lutton of Sevenoaks celebrated her 102nd birthday surrounded by friends plus spectacular cakes, candles and flowers at Sevenoaks School’s Thursday Club on 21 September.
The Thursday Club is held weekly and is run by Sevenoaks School students from Year 10 to Upper Sixth who are participating in the school’s Voluntary Service Unit’s (VSU) community programme. As part of this, the students socialise and spend time with the residents and enjoy engaging in a range of activities together, which vary each week. Activities include, listening to music performed by students and sharing life experiences.
Vicky (left) enjoys a joke with one of her friends
Vicky visits the school every week to attend the club, which welcomes a number of older people from the town. It is held in Sennocke House, one of the boarding houses, for an afternoon of entertainment and socialising organised by staff and pupils.
For her 102nd birthday, several parents made birthday cakes for everyone to enjoy, and students prepared sandwiches and tea. There were flowers in abundance and a background of Irish music in recognition of Vicky’s country of birth.
Vicky was thrilled with her party. She has been attending Thursday Club at Sevenoaks School since she relocated to Sevenoaks from South Africa 22 years ago and is now the longest-standing member of the club.
Students from Sevenoaks School’s VSU group helped make the birthday refreshments
When asked her secret to longevity, Vicky said she thinks it might be genetic, but also said: “I treat life as a challenge.”
Philanthropy and community is at the heart of Sevenoaks school where voluntary service has been part of the students’ education since 1960. Sevenoaks School has one of the largest Voluntary Service Units (VSU) in any UK school and the students have a choice of over 35 different activities ranging from environmental work and charity fundraising to supporting local primary schools and community groups, giving back 450 hours of time to the local community each weeks.
