Birthday boy George celebrates 100th birthday (From Bridport and Lyme Regis News)

Birthday boy George celebrates 100th birthday

1:00pm Wednesday 16th January 2013 in Lyme Regis

IT WAS always on the cards that former farmer George Raymond would live to a ripe old age.

His father lived to 101 and he was one of seven children – five of whom passed their centenary.

And now Mr Raymond has also just celebrated his 100th birthday at the Bymead nursing home in Charmouth surrounded by friends and family.

Mr Raymond was born at home in Shipton Gorge on December 23, 1912.

After his mother died six years later in 1918 the family moved to Folly Farm in Gillingham.

By 1928 the family were farming at Chantry Farm in Beaminster. In 1938 George and his brother Ernie started up a milk round in Beaminster and after milking their cows by hand they would bottle and deliver it twice a day.

In 1940 they moved to Hewstock Farm in Beaminster. George married Eileen Payne in 1962 and they celebrated their golden wedding in May 2012.

After 42 years George gave up the milk round and retired to enjoy his garden and meeting his farming friends for fish and chips on a Friday in Yeovil.

He had a stroke in 2004 and is now living with Eileen at Bymead House in Charmouth.

His nephew Andrew said the family wanted to thank the staff at Bymead for his party.