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.
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.
“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.
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
