As the youngest of six children, Shirley was her father’s favourite. That is until, at age seven, when she became an aunt, and he became a grandfather, and there was a new youngest in the family. As her family continued to grow, it also began to disperse, with her three older sisters marrying soldiers and moving away to start their own lives. Shirley recalls her childhood fondly. “I can remember everything from back then, because I had older sisters to tell me about it,” she said, “we didn’t have a lot of money, but we had a lot love and that’s what makes a person.”

Shirley was born and lived in Wales, where she worked to help support her mother after her father died. “My mum couldn’t wait for me to leave school.” said Shirley, reminiscing about her first job in a greengrocers. “I remember I was paid £2 and 10 shillings. Well, in those days, £2 was like £200 now. I gave my mother the £2, and kept the 10 shillings for myself.”

Shirley married, and had a son. “My husband said to me, ‘you wanted children so you can stay at home to look after them’”, she said, “so I didn’t work again until 12 years later when I divorced him.” Shirley then got a degree in caring for the elderly from The Open University and worked as a warden in sheltered housing.

Shirley’s children grew up and her daughter, who now has two children, moved to Florida. Her son is UK-based and has two children. When her grandchildren were younger, as her son and daughter-in-law both worked, Shirley played a big role in their lives. “I enjoyed telling them stories and picking them up from school,” she said, “they’d always ask me ‘have you got anything for us’ and I’d say, ‘yes, but don’t tell mum’ and give them chocolates!”

Shirley has had three different cancers in her life but maintains a positive attitude and a healthy lifestyle. Despite doctors telling her at 83 that she may not make it through the night, in January 2025, she celebrated her 90th birthday. Her family rented a large house in her town for four days so they could all spend time together. With her older sisters moving away, her nieces and nephews don’t live locally, so the family welcomes the chance to be together when possible.

Shirley explained: “We had a fantastic weekend! Every day they’d pick me up from my house and take me to the large house they rented, and we’d chat and play games.”

Naturally, they had a lot of catching up to do and, having such a large family means there’s lots of ‘branches on the tree’ with grandchildren and great grandchildren to discuss. “On the Sunday, they took me out for a lovely Indian meal.”

Shirley was a member of a Re-engage tea party group in Swansea and keeps active in her spare time, enjoying quiz shows, crosswords and cooking. She goes to a community centre on Tuesdays where they have sandwiches, crisps, and cake. On her 90th birthday, Shirley was presented with a special cake and large bouquet of flowers.

When asked to reflect on her life right now, Shirley added: “I eat well, I sleep well, and I’m happy.”