Chelmsford Cathedral hosts service for Mary’s centenary

Mary Bradford, who now lives at Cherry Wood Grange Care Home, celebrated her 100th birthday (June 26) with a special service in her honour held at Chelmsford Cathedral.

For 60 years, Mary volunteered her services to the cathedral helping them to organise events. The service was held by Reverend Olivia Maxfield-Coote and the hymn chosen for the special service was ‘Oh Jesus I have promised’.

Jonathan Bradford, one of Mary’s sons, said: “Marking her 100th birthday at the cathedral was very special as Mum used to attend weekly services there. She helped to organise events at the cathedral right up until she moved into the care home.

“Mum has a close bond with the local church community and enjoyed going on church outings with her friends.She is so proud of the fact that she was born and raised and worked all of her life in Chelmsford.

“We were so pleased that some of the carers and residents from her care home joined us for the celebration. It really was a day to remember, and Mum loved every moment!”

Members of the team and some of her friends from the care home accompanied Mary to the service at the cathedral.

Mary is a retired teaching assistant who worked at St Cedd’s School in Chelmsford. She was a school governor at Chelmsford County High School, where she also attended as a pupil. Mary has strong religious beliefs and has always attended church every Sunday.

Sue Smith, manager at Cherry Wood Grange, said: “We understand how important Mary’s faith is to her and do what we can to support this. She attends our weekly church service at the home and also enjoys watching the church service on TV in the lounge on a Sunday.”

To continue the celebrations, the care home team also hosted a party for Mary and her family, which included decorations, refreshments, a special cake made for the occasion by the home’s chef, and bubbly to toast Mary’s centenary.

Mary moved to Cherry Wood Grange in 2018, initially living in the home’s residential community, before moving three years ago onto Daffodil, its specialist dementia suite.

Bex Harmer, lifestyle lead at Cherry Wood Grange , added: “Mary is a lovely lady who plays a very active role in life at the home. She is extremely sociable and likes to keep busy by attending most of our activities.

“Mary particularly enjoys our regular flower arranging and art & craft sessions. She spends time in the lounge doing puzzles and likes quiet time in her room where she enjoys reading and knitting.

“Before moving into the home, Mary liked to play bridge with her friends, and it’s a pastime she’s been able to continue here at Cherry Wood. We always encourage our residents to pursue their hobbies and interests.”

Located on Writtle Road in Chelmsford, Cherry Wood Grange is a dementia specialist care home that also provides residential and end of life care. We are proudly rated ‘Good’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and a finalist in both the Community Partnership and the Prosper Award categories at Essex Care Sector Awards 2025.