It was a very special day on 22nd January for Betty Reed as she reached the amazing milestone of 100 years.

A resident at Trevaylor Manor Care Home in Penzance, Betty celebrated not only her birthday but that of her twin, Joan, and the bond they have shared for a century.

The identical sisters were born on January 22nd, 1925, in Hayle, Cornwall to Mrs Emily Williams and quickly became known in the area as the Williams twins. The girls attended Bodriggy School and later Hayle Grammar School and during her mid-school years Betty was chosen as Hayle Carnival Queen.

Betty started work at Primrose Dairy in the nearby village of St Erth, taking shorthand and typing classes in the evenings whilst her sister Joan worked for the Co-op. During the war years the girls enjoyed local dances held for the American GIs stationed at bases nearby and helped their mother look after the frequent family members who came to stay.

Having progressed well at the dairy, Betty met her husband to be Jack Reed, who after being demobbed from the RAF came to work for Harveys of Hayle. The couple got married in 1951 and initially moved into a flat above a local butcher’s shop.

Betty sang in Hayle Ladies Choir also played piano and Jack bought a Morris Eight tourer. Meanwhile Joan, had moved away with her husband, first to Abbey Wood and later to Basingstoke. Betty and Jack saved hard and bought a large plot of land in Penmare, Hayle, building a lovely bungalow, just half a mile from Betty’s parents.

Due to a leg injury, Betty retired early from Primrose Dairy but continued with the choir and earned many prizes at local fetes for her crochet work and baking. She also continued studies in musical theory at a local Technical College.

Following retirement, Jack designed and built a house in Marazion, Cornwall, overlooking St Michael’s Mount. He and Betty left their bungalow and moved there in 2000. In the following years, they joined groups of veterans who visited the D-Day beaches and war graves on several occasions.

Following the death of Betty and Joan’s parents, Joan bought their old family home and after over 50 years was back in Cornwall. In 2012, following a stroke Jack moved into Trevaylor Manor Residential Care Home where he was joined by Betty in 2017. Jack sadly died two years later.

Both sisters now reside in residential care homes, Betty in Trevaylor Manor near Penzance and Joan in The Elms Care Centre in Saltash, East Cornwall. Despite being apart, the sister’s keep in touch by phone and Joan’s daughter, Libby, helps keep the family ties going with the story of the twins long and happy lives documented for future generations.

The staff at Trevaylor Manor, part of the Swallowcourt portfolio of homes, made sure Betty had a special day with cake, balloons and flowers, arranging a call with her beloved sister Joan. Betty received her personalised congratulatory message from the King, which was on proud display on her special day.