Special gift for Percy on his 100th birthday
Matthew SparkesWhen he moved into a care home two years ago, Percy Garrod gave away all his cherished wood working tools, thinking it would be an end to a much loved hobby.Matthew Sparkes
When he moved into a care home two years ago, Percy Garrod gave away all his cherished wood working tools, thinking it would be an end to a much loved hobby.
Despite this, the former Norwich cabinet maker, who celebrated his 100th birthday last Sunday still managed to build himself a banjo from scratch.
And now, to mark his centenary, the Robert Kett Court resident in Wymondham has been given a brand new set of chisels to continue making musical instruments.
Born in 1909 in Hilborough, Mr Garrod has read the EDP every day for 80 years - except on May 5 1926, when the general strike meant no edition was printed.
You may also want to watch:
'There are three things you should like in this world; people, places and things,' said Mr Garrod.
He wrote for the EDP from 1947 to 1974 as a village correspondent and served as a parish councillor.
Most Read
- 1 One of Norfolk's most expensive homes for sale for £3.5million
- 2 Street light debate councillor says education would stop fear of dark
- 3 Norfolk has no Covid patients in critical care for first time in six months
- 4 Norfolk County Council elections 2021: Who is standing in Breckland?
- 5 Norfolk attractions enjoy 'amazing' Saturday as visitors flood back
- 6 'Thank you for everything' - How Norfolk marked Duke of Edinburgh's funeral
- 7 Covid vaccine rollout shifts dramatically in favour of second doses
- 8 Rapid coronavirus testing site set for launch in Thetford
- 9 On the buses: Mobile Covid vaccination service is launched
- 10 People without Covid symptoms urged to use new walk-in test site
His first job after leaving school was an apprenticeship with a tailor, but he was knocked down by a lorry on his bike before arriving at the shop.
After a spell in hospital he embarked on a career in Norwich as a cabinet maker, which lasted for 17 years.
Another period of illness forced him to take lighter duties, but he continued to work with wood and in the next six years made a staggering 6,000 dining chairs by hand.
Mr Garrod then spent 21 years teaching these expert woodworking skills to others around the county and eventually left to go into business restoring musical instruments.
Beside his varied career he has found time for a huge range of hobbies and interests, which he says is key to a long life, including learning the guitar, banjo and violin, playing cricket, bee-keeping and painting.
'One of my favourite things is to go out with a couple of pals and look through a hedge and do a landscape, then have a picnic,' he said.
'There's nothing I like doing more than that.'
And he was also a pioneer of the green movement, constructing a wind turbine to supply power to his home in the 1950s, milling his own flour and collecting rainwater to drink - a habit he keeps up to this day.
Although his wife Gladys sadly passed away four years ago, Mr Garrod still has a large family who regularly visit him.
On Sunday he celebrated his birthday at a party attended by his daughters Elizabeth Smith, 60, and Susan Evans, 63.
His three grandsons, granddaughter, great-granddaughter and great-grandson were also there on Mr Garrod's milestone birthday.