Real Lives: Family and friends join Annie to mark 104 years

Published on Monday 1 August 2011 11:42

Annie Fulton, one of West Lothian's oldest residents, has celebrated her 104th birthday.

Born in Motherwell on July 20, 1907, Mrs Fulton is now a resident of Fauldhouse's Crofthead Nursing Home, where she had her birthday party surrounded by family and friends.

The first of nine children, Mrs Fulton grew up in Hamilton on the Duke of Hamilton's estate and then moved to the small town of Shotts, where her father worked on the Fortissat Estate as a gamekeeper. She attended primary school and the Dykehead School in Shotts, after which she went into service.

Her work took her to Chapelton near Strathaven where she met her husband William Fulton, whom she married in the early 1940s. Mr Fulton was a headmaster at the time and already had two grown-up daughters from a previous marriage.

They lived in Newarthill until he retired and the couple returned to Shotts. She continued to live there after her husband's death and only moved into the nursing home in 2000, at the age of 93. "She had a hard life, she worked all her life," her niece, Anne Smitt, said.

In the nursing home, Mrs Fulton enjoys spending her time reading but she is still active, and for her last birthday she celebrated by going paddling in Portobello,

This year she was visited by many of her closest relatives. Family and friends came to wish her well, bringing her gifts and flowers.

This year she has been celebrating by making three special wishes.

As part of her three wishes, Mrs Fulton went to church and had afternoon tea with a close friend in their home. Her friend, now in her 80s, used to be her upstairs neighbour and they shared a house.

For her last wish to come true she needs to have a little patience however, as she wants to go back to her primary school in Shotts, which requires some extra organisation. Her niece thinks it reminds Mrs Fulton of her childhood. "The building is still the original one and it brings back a lot of memories", she said.

A spokesperson for home said that from all the gifts, Mrs Fulton's favourites were the flowers, as they are her passion.