by Alan Quick

A SANDFORD woman marks her 90th birthday today, Friday, July 28, and among those attending an open house at her home will be her older brother’s, one aged 91 and the other aged 93.

Jean Simms was born at Bovey Tracey, her parents moving to Scotland Farm at Kennerleigh in February 1928, when she was a baby.

She went to school at Morchard Bishop, either with her mother taking her on the pony, or she would walk with her brothers.

Later, the family took over Welland Down, running the two farms together.

Her late husband, Mr Bill Simms was then working on the farm next door and all the young people would often meet at events held in Kennerleigh Village Hall.

When Mrs Simms left school she worked on the farm.

She and her brothers remember working with horses, then one tractor shared between the two farms and used for most of the ploughing in 1941.

Mrs Simms and her husband moved to Mooracre until a smallholding came up at Creedy Mill, where they stayed for three years.

When one of Jean’s brothers got married, she and Bill took over half of Welland Down and shared the farmhouse with her parents.

When her father retired, they bought the farm, her parents still living in part of the farmhouse.

Milking was done by hand, electricity not arriving at Welland Down until 1964.

In 1990 Bill and Jean sold the farm and retired to a bungalow they had built on part of the farm, looking out over Kennerleigh Woods.

Bill passed away in 2005 and Jean now lives with her son, David at the bungalow.

David is a well-known electrician.

Jean still enjoys knitting and knits blankets etc for premature babies and the R D and E Hospital in Exeter.

Previously she was a member of Morchard Bishop Young Farmers’ Club, a member of Kennerleigh Village Hall committee, Kennerleigh Mothers’ Union and she and Bill used to enjoy dancing and bowling.

David has worked out that on July 28, Jean will be 32,873 days old, her brother Paul Isaac will be 33,529 days old and brother Peter will be 33,998 days old, making a grand total of 100,400 days old.

All friends and family are invited to attend the Open House event to mark Jean’s 90th today, from 12 noon to 7.30pm.