‘Longest living’ identical twins celebrate 100 years of sisterhood
One of the UK’s longest living pairs of twins, and possibly the oldest identical pair, have celebrated their 100th birthdays in style at one of our Dorset Care Homes.
Devoted sisters Joan and Peggy Barter are thought to be among only four sets of twin centenarians in the whole country and are almost certainly the oldest identical twins in the south of England.
In matching tiaras, blue dresses and glittering gold sashes proclaiming ‘100 & Fabulous’, they were naturally the joint centre of attention at their birthday party at The Aldbury Dementia Care Home in Poole.
Guests included Robin Ponting, grandson of the twins’ cousin Doris Ponting whose life was further proof of the family’s longevity. Born in 1898, Doris passed away aged 106 in 2004 having lived in three centuries.
In a heartfelt speech at the party, Robin recalled visiting the twins when he was a boy and, much later, the pair of them attending family celebrations such as Doris’s birthdays and his parents John and Elizabeth’s golden wedding.
He said: “Joan and Peggy may be distant relatives on my father’s side but in reality they have always been close family and we saw them frequently on visits.
“They have always looked after each other. There is something so very special about these two, a lifelong bond and understanding.
“On occasion, when they wanted to speak privately in company, they would speak French to each other like a secret code.”
Joan and Peggy were born in 1923 on the outskirts of Bath where their father Clem ran a hardware and clothing shop and their mother Doss was a housewife.
Robin has cherished memories of trips to see them.
Robin said: “Doss and Clem were the kindest of people whenever we visited. I was absolutely spoilt with chocolate biscuits each time, much to the envy of Joan and Peggy.”
The twins attended schools and colleges in Bath before leaving to take up their separate careers. Joan became a teacher, eventually moving to Sherborne and becoming head of a girls’ school.
“I was told by former pupils that Joan was firm but fair and would do anything to help them,” said Robin.
Peggy took up a post as a radiographer in a Birmingham hospital.
With their respective retirements coinciding with each other, Peggy returned south to join Joan in her house in Sherborne.
Robin said: “Peggy’s retirement present was a new kitchen while Joan’s was a baby grand piano which just fitted in to the front room. Joan would go on teach starter piano lessons from home for many years.”
Identical twins Peggy and Joan Barter, right and second from right respectively, at the 103rd birthday of their cousin Doris Ponting, seated centre, in 2001. With them are Doris’s grandson Robin Ponting, second from left, and his parents Elizabeth and John.
As time went on, it became clear that old age was starting to adversely affect the twins’ ability to live at home.
They first moved to our Sherborne care home, Abbey View, for respite care, eventually making the transition to full time care there and later at Newstone House, the provider’s home in Sturminster Newton.
Robin said: “There have always been caring and sensitive discussions about their best interests, with the move to Newstone House being chosen because it had facilities more tailored to their changing needs.
“They spent several happy years there before their eventual move to dedicated dementia care at The Aldbury four years ago.
“It reflects the progression of their journey with dementia, while receiving the very best of care available and still getting the best out of life.
“The teams in Abbey View, Newstone House and The Aldbury have proved time and time again that they give professional care and help, both to the twins, and to help and advise myself and family members.
“Their unstinting support has been continuous, always looking for the very best solutions when there have been additional challenges. Both as individuals and as a group, Colten Care staff are firmly and unquestionably part of our own family.”
Melissa Siat of The Aldbury Companionship team said: “When we asked the twins how they would like to celebrate their birthdays, Peggy said ‘It would be nice to have some of our relatives around and have a piano concert’.
“Joan didn’t say anything but Peggy knew that her twin sister loves listening to piano music as she used to play and teach the piano.”
As a birthday surprise, Melissa and colleagues arranged for piano tuner Jonathan Pope to make sure The Aldbury’s lounge piano was in tip top shape and invited professional musician Caroline Pugh to come and play at the party.
Amid disco lights, banners, balloons and old photos, Caroline performed hits from the 1950s and 60s including a selection of the twins’ favourites.
Melissa added: “Peggy was smiling and singing along to ‘You Are My Sunshine’. A full house of staff and residents attended the party, singing and dancing, shaking the shakers and pom poms, swaying ribbons and having a lot of fun.
Peggy Barter on her 100th birthday.
“Our Chef Izzy Turczyn-Kuzma baked a beautifully decorated cake and the twins got dressed up and had their hair done by one of our Healthcare Assistants, Maureen Gostling. They really did look fabulous.
“Robin’s heartfelt speech brought happy tears to quite a few of us. He introduced the twins and gave a background history. He said he couldn’t think of a better home for Peggy and Joan. They are so well looked after and he feels reassured that they are both in very good hands.”
According to publicly available national statistics, the longest living twins in the UK, Elma Harris and Thelma Barratt, celebrated their 103rd birthdays in August 2022 in Stockport, Cheshire, and Kirkham, Lancashire, respectively.
Melissa added: “Based on our own research, we believe Joan and Peggy may be the longest-living identical twins in the country. They are certainly the oldest twins in Dorset!”
When Joan and Peggy were born in summer 1923, Britain was a nation still recovering from the devastation of the First World War and the global Spanish flu epidemic.
It was only five years after the long-running suffragettes’ campaign had finally changed the law to secure women’s voting rights.
Commercial air travel was in its infancy, cinemas continued to show silent films and it would be another six years before the first test transmission of a black and white BBC television signal.
Must-have children’s toys in 1923 included spinning tops, marbles and tiddlywinks.