Mayor of Ferryhill, Cllr Carole Atkinson, was invited along to the Masonic Hall last Friday, where she joined Albert Cutting as he celebrated his 100th Birthday with family and friends.
The Mayor presented Albert with a birthday card on behalf of the community and a Ferryhill Town Council engraved whisky tumbler.
Albert was born in West Cornforth to Albert and Maria Cutting; he was a Doggy lad.
He left school at 14 and went to Leicester to work in a typewriter factory.
He came home for a week’s holiday when war was declared, so he decided to head back north. He followed his dad into mining, with a job at Mainsforth Colliery.
He met Margaret, the love of his life, at the Rink in Spennymoor. They married in 1950 and he moved to Ferryhill where he has lived ever since.
They had two children, Jeff and Jill, and a very happy, active family life.
The highlight of each year was their summer holidays when they ventured to Devon, Cornwall and the Isle of Wight – long adventures in those days!
After 28 years, he finally left the pit for a job at Union Carbide until he retired in 1986.
They had a great retirement with lots of holidays, visits to family and friends and many happy times travelling to Spain and Italy.
Sadly, his beloved son, Jeff was diagnosed with MND and died in 2018, followed by Margaret who died of Covid at the start of the pandemic in 2020.
Albert adjusted as best he could and has continued to live independently ever since, until very recently still digging his garden!
Almost 40 years after retiring, he’s still drawing his pension and looking very good on it.
Mayor Atkinson said: “It was lovely to be invited along to Albert’s 100th birthday celebrations and wonderful to meet him as he celebrated this milestone birthday.”
Ferryhill & Chilton's local community newspaper.
