A Northern nan celebrating her 108th birthday has admitted that has said a daily glass of red wine is the secret to her long life.
Julia Iverson now lives at Brampton Lodge care home in Warrington, but she was born in Denmark all the way back in 1914, and even served in Kenya in the Women’s Royal Naval Service in World War II, before going on to have three daughters, five grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.
Mrs Iverson tested positive for COVID-19 twice since the pandemic began, but managed to only had have mild symptoms and recover well both times.
Staff at the care home describe Mrs Iverson as a “lovely and kind person”, and her daughter Roselyn says that she is a “great supportive mum” who enjoys singing, cups of tea, snack pots of custard, and keeping “a positive outlook on life”.
Mrs Iverson has marked her impressive milestone of 108 years this week, with a well-deserved birthday bash.
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As well as the celebrations hosted at the care home, Mrs Iverson also received dozens of cards and greetings from members of the public after care home manager Debbie Davidson posted a message on Facebook, as well as a special card from the Queen.
But what is her secret to living for as long as she has? Red wine, of course.
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Like a true champ, carers at Brampton Lodge joked how she always knows if glasses of her favourite red wine have been watered down or not.
108-year-old Julia Iverson says the key to living a long life is a daily glass of red wine / Credit: Unsplash (Kelsey Knight)
Her old age doesn’t mean she isn’t living life to the fullest though.
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Mrs Iverson’s daughter says her mother “still talks a lot and sets the subject of conversation”, is often reminiscing about her childhood and adolescence, and finds it “amazing how different life is now” after recently learning about emails and comparing them to the telegrams she used to send.
Staff at the home described themselves as “one big family”, and said taking care of Mrs Iverson was “a pleasure”.
Home Bargains has announced a special two-day closure of all UK stores
Emily Sergeant
Home Bargains has, once again, announced it’ll be closing all its UK stores on both Boxing Day and New Year’s Day this year.
And it’s to make sure staff get a ‘well deserved break’.
After what has been yet another busy year for the retail industry, many workers have been left feeling like they could do with a little extra time off, which is why Home Bargains is following on with what has become a now-annual tradition by shutting up shop on two bank holidays.
All of our stores will be closing for Boxing Day & New Years Day.
Announcing the move in a post on social media, the discount retailer confirmed: “All of our stores will be closing for Boxing Day and New Years Day. We would like to thank all our colleagues for how hard you have worked this past year, and want you to relax and enjoy the Christmas break with your loved ones.”
Of course, this isn’t the first time the retailer has kept its doors shut on bank holidays.
Many shoppers will recall it has made the same decision to give hardworking staff a break every year since 2019.
Explaining a little more about the decision taken to close all its stores, Home Bargains said: “As a family-run business, we know the importance of being together at Christmas with those we care about most, now more than ever.
“This is our way of saying thank you to our colleagues for their continued hard work and dedication.”
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Two Greggs in Manchester will be serving their breakfast menu in the evening next week
Emily Sergeant
Who says breakfast has to end at 11am?
In news that’s set to be music to the ears of breakfast lovers in Manchester, Greggs is giving them exactly what they want.
We all know that brunch is a ‘thing’ by now, so now it’s time for brinner to make a name for itself instead, as Greggs has teamed up with Heinz to bring its much-loved breakfast menu back for tea time, kicking off from 4pm onwards.
The move comes as a new survey has found that the majority of Mancs (69%) admit to enjoying eating breakfast food in the evening, saying it’s ‘convenient and comforting’ – even ranking breakfast as a ‘more important’ meal than tea, as well (38% vs 36%).
Two Greggs in Manchester will be serving their breakfast menu in the evening next week / Credit: Greggs (Supplied)
Greggs says it has ‘lost count’ of the amount of customers that have tried to order breakfast items after the usual cut-off time, especially in Greater Manchester.
But luckily for those breakfast-loving Mancs, they can finally get their favourite breakfast and sauce pairing long after the morning rush is over next… but only at two Greggs branches, and only for a very limited time.
On Wednesday 14 and Thursday 15 October, the Heinz x Greggs Brinner collab will be available at Greggs St Mary’s Gate and Greggs Oxford Road, from 4-7pm only.
“We’ve lost count of the number of customers who have tried their luck ordering breakfast after 11am, so when Heinz came to us with the idea of making Brinner a reality, it felt like the perfect excuse to give the people what they want,” explained Zoe Harris, who is the Customer Director at Greggs.
“And let’s be honest, a Greggs Bacon Roll just wouldn’t be the same without a squeeze of Heinz Tomato Ketchup.”
Emily Sergeant -
24th February 2022 
