Margaret marks milestone birthday: East Belfast celebrations as beloved mother and grandmother reaches 100 years
Celebrations marked one of the biggest birthdays around today, as Northern Ireland welcomed its newest centenarian.
Margaret May Steed turned 100, surrounded by beaming family members as she reached triple figures.
A resident of an east Belfast care home, she was thrown a bash as she received a message from King Charles congratulating her on a life well lived.
Born Margaret Cooper in Berkshire, she grew up in a village about 17 miles west of London as bomb attacks during the Second World War ravaged the country.
She spent many nights sleeping in a shelter in the back garden, where the family also reared rabbits to supplemented their rations. Aged 18, she was one of hundreds of thousands of people to celebrate VE Day by taking to the streets outside Buckingham Palace.
Working as a secretary in the city of London, she married a young lecturer, Roy Steed; they went on to have three children, Christopher, Philippa and Richard, who were all present at her 100th birthday party as was her granddaughter Grace.
Among the historic events she witnessed, Margaret was in the crowd at Queen Elizabeth’s II coronation in 1953, camping out all night on the Mall in the rain to get a good view of the young monarch.
Said her son Christopher: “As well as bringing up three children Margaret worked part-time as a primary school’s library assistant in England, a job which she loved by encouraging children to read and visiting local schools.”
After Roy died in 2015, at the age of 91, Margaret moved to Belfast to be closer to Christopher, his wife Helene and their daughter Grace.
Added Christopher: “In her married life, Margaret enjoyed dancing, country walks and caravan holidays.
“She always been characterised as a friendly person, enjoyed talking to everyone and has a general happy disposition. She has lived in Bloomfields Nursing Home for nearly four years with dementia and is very well cared for by the wonderful staff.”