Barbara still enjoys books at 100
Barbara Heynes, a December baby born a century ago, celebrated her 100th birthday just before Christmas.
Amongst the well-wishers who called to see Barbara on her big day were Mary Saunders and Alison Staveley of Warwickshire Libraries Home Delivery Service. Mary and Alison took a card and some flowers, instead of the books they usually deliver to Barbara, at her home in Kenilworth, as part of their monthly service to housebound readers in the area.
“We always end up laughing every time we bring Barbara’s books,” said Mary. “She is full of fun.”
“I know people in their sixties who seem a lot older than Barbara,” said Alison. “She really is quite incredible.”
Born in Coventry a century ago, Barbara has lived in Kenilworth for the past 30 years. An accomplished artist, she was a relatively late-starter who began painting in her late 40s.
Barbara chatted about the painters she admires and the sort of books she enjoys. Not keen on murder mysteries, she likes autobiographies and a wide range of fiction.
“I like a good story,” she said.
Special though she is, Barbara is not the only reader over 100 on Mary’s home delivery round. She has two clients in Leamington who have clocked up a century each, plus a gentleman in Warwick who is over 100, too.