Gladys Banks Marks 108th Birthday on Christmas Day

A community in a Kent village united to commemorate an individual born on Christmas Day. Gladys Banks, known as the “Queen of Borough Green,” reaches her 108th year today, having been honored with a street celebration. The entire community convened on the street in front of Gladys’s garden for an initial festivity on November 30, coinciding with their Christmas lights switch-on event, where she received a birthday cake, champagne, and musical entertainment, as a substantial gathering sang “Happy Birthday.” Gladys, an admirer of Abba, who was observed dancing from her chair with a glass of fizz in hand, stated: “The people here in Borough Green are so good to me. I’m the Queen of Borough Green, you know, so I practise my wave!” The local community has organized a celebration for her annually since her 100th birthday. “I know there’s lots of old ladies that probably don’t see anybody from one week to another,” commented great-grandmother Gladys, whose birth year was 1916, during the midst of World War One. “I’m very lucky here.” Becky Holdstock, responsible for arranging Gladys’s parties, remarked: “I just adore her. You can still talk to her like a friend, she’s got everything that you’d possibly ever want at 108. “She’s the most loveliest lady I’ve ever met in my life. She still goes out – she does more than me.”” Connect with BBC Kent via Facebook, X, and Instagram. Submit your story concepts to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or reach us on WhatsApp at 08081 002250. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for material found on external websites. Information regarding our policy on external linking is available.