By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
What's The JamWhat's The Jam
  • Home
  • Latest News
    • UK News
    • World News
  • Super ViralHot
  • Lifestyle
    • Health and Fitness
    • Photography
    • Property
  • Humor
  • Celebrity
  • Weird
  • Videos
  • All Topics
    • Babies and Kids
    • Celebrity
    • Comedy and Humor
    • Documentary and Reportage
    • Fails
    • Health and Fitness
    • Holidays and Travel
    • Influencers and Models
    • Latest Videos
    • Life Hacks
    • Lifestyle
    • Nature and Wildlife
    • Pets and Animals
    • Photography
    • Property
    • Real Life
    • Sport
    • Strange and Bizarre
    • Super Viral
    • UK News
    • World News
Search
  • Health and Fitness
  • Holidays and Travel
  • Nature and Wildlife
  • Pets and Animals
  • Photography
  • Babies and Kids
  • Comedy and Humor
  • Fails
  • Real Life
  • Strange and Bizarre
  • Submit News
  • Customize Interests
  • Bookmarks
  • Newsletter
  • Who Are We
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Write For Us
  • Advertise
  • Contact
© 2023 What's The Jam. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Zoo celebrates its 100 year anniversary with a tea party for Centenarians
Share
Notification Show More
Aa
What's The JamWhat's The Jam
Aa
  • News
  • World
  • Viral
  • Funny
  • Weird
  • Celebrity
  • DIY
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport
  • Videos
Search
  • Home
    • News
    • World
    • Super Viral
    • Videos
  • All Topics
    • Babies and Kids
    • Celebrity
    • Comedy and Humor
    • Documentary and Reportage
    • Fails
    • Health and Fitness
    • Holidays and Travel
    • Influencers and Models
    • Life Hacks
    • Lifestyle
    • Nature and Wildlife
    • Pets and Animals
    • Photography
    • Property
    • Real Life
    • Sport
    • Strange and Bizarre
  • Quick Links
    • Customize Interests
    • Bookmarks
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of use
    • Write For Us
    • Advertise
    • Contact
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Write For Us
  • Advertise
  • Contact
© 2023 What's The Jam. All Rights Reserved.
Drusillas Park marks 100th birthday with 20 centenarians whose combined ages top 2,000 years - guests relive memories, meet lemurs and enjoy nostalgic cream teas in Sussex.
UK News

Zoo celebrates its 100 year anniversary with a tea party for Centenarians

News Room
Last updated: 2025/09/11 at 4:17 PM
News Room
Share
4 Min Read
Guests at the Centenarians Tea Party. (Jam Press/Drusillas Park)
SHARE

Under blazing Sussex sunshine, Drusillas Park rolled out the red carpet this week for some very special visitors – more than 20 centenarians, whose combined ages added up to an astonishing 2,000 years of life experience.

The celebration marked a remarkable double milestone: the attraction’s own 100th birthday and the extraordinary lives of its honoured guests, all aged between 99 and 102.

The group were treated to a free day at the park, reliving fond family traditions and making new memories. From meeting the zoo’s famous lemurs to tucking into nostalgic cream teas – a nod to Drusillas’ beginnings as a 1925 tea cottage – the day was filled with smiles, stories and a touch of mischief.

READ MORE: Peter Sellers’ old classic Bentley set to sell for £120,000

- Advertisement -

For some, the visit brought a wave of nostalgia. Diana Benton, 101, shared treasured photos from her first trips to Drusillas in the late 1940s, while fellow centenarian Peter Valentine, also 101, recalled happy days bringing his daughters and granddaughters.

Drusillas Park marks 100th birthday with 20 centenarians whose combined ages top 2,000 years - guests relive memories, meet lemurs and enjoy nostalgic cream teas in Sussex.
101 year old Diana Benton with her daughter and granddaughter. (Jam Press/Drusillas Park)

For others, the trip was a first – proof that you’re never too old for the zoo. Ivy Bull, 102, and Joan McCrudden, 100, delighted staff by scrambling onto the children’s climbing frames, both “young at heart” with “cheeky glints in their eyes.”

Drusillas’ Managing Director, Cassie Poland, told What’s The Jam: “It’s a huge honour to welcome so many centenarians to the Park.

Drusillas Park marks 100th birthday with 20 centenarians whose combined ages top 2,000 years - guests relive memories, meet lemurs and enjoy nostalgic cream teas in Sussex.
Managing Director Cassie Poland meets 101 year old Hetty Bath. (Jam Press/Drusillas Park)

“Their lives span the same century as Drusillas, and we’re so proud to celebrate with them.

“It’s wonderful to bring generations together and create new memories in the place where so many family traditions have been made.”

- Advertisement -

Guests also met the park’s ring-tailed lemurs – the only animal residents to have been at Drusillas continuously for its entire 100 years.

The very first, Georgina, arrived when the park was still run by founders Captain Douglas Ann and his wife Drusilla.

Drusillas Park marks 100th birthday with 20 centenarians whose combined ages top 2,000 years - guests relive memories, meet lemurs and enjoy nostalgic cream teas in Sussex.
101 year old Hetty Bath with her granddaughter Carla Lee. (Jam Press/Drusillas Park)

In all, 21 people made the final guest list, including Gerry Peacock (101), Elsa Flint (100), and family matriarch Joan Murrel (99), grandmother of the park’s current owners.

- Advertisement -

Drusillas Park, near Alfriston, has been in the Smith family since 1997 and is now run by Laurence and Christine Smith’s children, Cassie Poland and Ollie Smith. Centenary celebrations will continue throughout the year with special events and exhibitions.

For more on Drusillas’ history and centenary programme, visit www.drusillas.co.uk/centenary.

READ MORE: Couple taking ‘gap year’ travelling world with daughter, 6, say it’s CHEAPER than living in UK

Drusillas Park marks 100th birthday with 20 centenarians whose combined ages top 2,000 years - guests relive memories, meet lemurs and enjoy nostalgic cream teas in Sussex.
102 year old Ivy Bull meeting lemurs. (Jam Press/Drusillas Park)
Drusillas Park marks 100th birthday with 20 centenarians whose combined ages top 2,000 years - guests relive memories, meet lemurs and enjoy nostalgic cream teas in Sussex.
110 year old Terry Carter meets some lemurs. (Jam Press/Drusillas Park)
Drusillas Park marks 100th birthday with 20 centenarians whose combined ages top 2,000 years - guests relive memories, meet lemurs and enjoy nostalgic cream teas in Sussex.
100 year old Peggy Davis with her son Michael. (Jam Press/Drusillas Park)
Drusillas Park marks 100th birthday with 20 centenarians whose combined ages top 2,000 years - guests relive memories, meet lemurs and enjoy nostalgic cream teas in Sussex.
99 year old Joan Murrell with her granddaughter Caroline Steer. (Jam Press/Drusillas Park)

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • X

Have a story to tell? Hello@whatsthejam.com
TAGGED: animals, attractions, Heartwarming, news, shocking, zoo

Sign Up For Daily Newsletter

Be keep up! Get the latest breaking news delivered straight to your inbox.
[mc4wp_form]
By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
Share This Article
Facebook Twitter Copy Link Print
Share
What do you think?
Love0
Sad0
Happy0
Sleepy0
Angry0
Dead0
Wink0
Previous Article Woman’s lips balloon after botched fillers as practitioner bizarrely blames her period - 24-year-old Malene Mauer shares swollen ordeal and warns others to research clinics. Woman’s lips ‘balloon’ after botched lip fillers – as nurse blames her period
Next Article Max Verstappen’s rare Porsche 911 GT2 RS Clubsport signed by him is up for auction at RM Sotheby’s Arizona with a £480000 estimate after covering just 1360 miles. Max Verstappen’s old 211mph Porsche – which he owned for three years – going under hammer for £480,000
Leave a comment Leave a comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Stay Connected

235.3k Followers Like
69.1k Followers Follow
11.6k Followers Pin
56.4k Followers Follow
136k Subscribers Subscribe
4.4k Followers Follow
- Advertisement -
Ad imageAd image

Latest News

Mum-of-two Abbie Lodge dropped four stone in four months by making one daily change to her lifestyle - proving simple swaps can spark lasting weight loss success.
‘I’m losing a stone a month WITHOUT skinny jabs – this is my simple secret’
Health and Fitness 1 October 2025
A Dutch man traded a pen up to a MacBook Air and now aims to barter his way to a house, highlighting tough housing costs for young buyers while turning swaps into an adventure.
Cash-strapped man trades pen for computer in bid to swap his way…to a house
World News 1 October 2025
Cole, a rescue cat turned tarot card reader, has gone viral for his eerily accurate predictions, with fans flocking online for his mystical readings shared by owner Emily Cook.
‘My cat does tarot readings and they’re spookily accurate – he even predicted problems at work before they happened’
Lifestyle 1 October 2025
Youth football is set for a shake-up in 2026 as under sevens play three-a-side with no referees or goalkeepers, sparking backlash from parents and grassroots coaches.
Kids will play youth football matches without ref under barmy shake-up
Sport 1 October 2025

You Might also Like

A Dutch man traded a pen up to a MacBook Air and now aims to barter his way to a house, highlighting tough housing costs for young buyers while turning swaps into an adventure.
World News

Cash-strapped man trades pen for computer in bid to swap his way…to a house

1 October 2025
Cole, a rescue cat turned tarot card reader, has gone viral for his eerily accurate predictions, with fans flocking online for his mystical readings shared by owner Emily Cook.
Lifestyle

‘My cat does tarot readings and they’re spookily accurate – he even predicted problems at work before they happened’

1 October 2025
Youth football is set for a shake-up in 2026 as under sevens play three-a-side with no referees or goalkeepers, sparking backlash from parents and grassroots coaches.
Sport

Kids will play youth football matches without ref under barmy shake-up

1 October 2025
A beautifully restored 1959 Jaguar XK150 SE DHC with just 49k miles is set to fetch £85,000 at auction, showcasing timeless design, power and collector appeal.
UK News

Classic 66-year-old Jaguar which originally sold for £2,000 now on sale for whopping £85,000

1 October 2025
Chunk 32 has been crowned Fat Bear Week 2025 champion after finally securing victory with over 96,000 votes, weighing an enormous 1,200 lbs in Alaska’s Katmai National Park.
Nature and Wildlife

Fat BEAR crowned champion after getting over 96,000 votes for being the chonkiest boy at 1,200lbs

1 October 2025
A Vinted seller and buyer became embroiled in a two-week row over a £10.50 offer on a £28 Ralph Lauren top, with their petty insults and sarcastic exchanges going viral online.
UK News

Vinted seller caught in TWO WEEK long argument over buyer’s ‘low-ball’ offer on Ralph Lauren top

1 October 2025
Archie, an 11-month-old miniature dachshund, has been crowned Clarks Village’s new Canine Executive Officer after winning a public vote, beating 300 dogs to the coveted role.
Pets and Animals

Miniature dachshund bags role as CEO at shopping centre

1 October 2025
A black bear was caught on CCTV stealing a porch package in Washington, only to find a sweater instead of food, prompting wildlife officials to warn about hungry “furry pirates.”
World News

Dopey bear swipes package from family porch thinking it’s food… but is left disappointed as it’s only clothes inside

1 October 2025
//

What’s The Jam is your one stop website for the latest viral and weird news from around the world.

 
Have a story to tell? Hello@whatsthejam.com

Quick Link

  • Customize Interests
  • Bookmarks
  • Write for Us
  • Newsletter
  • About Us

Top Categories

  • UK News
  • World News
  • Latest Videos
  • Lifestyle
  • Super Viral

Sign Up for Our Newsletter

Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!

[mc4wp_form]

What's The JamWhat's The Jam
Follow US
© 2023 What's The Jam. All Rights Reserved.
Go to mobile version
adbanner
AdBlock Detected
Our site is an advertising supported site. Please whitelist to support our site.
Okay, I'll Whitelist
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?