Former mayoress who met Queen celebrates 100th birthday

Joyce Upperton was joined by her son Kerry and three grandchildren – Louise, Helen, and Jenni – who travelled 3,500 miles from Toronto, Canada, to be with her to mark the special occasion at The Dolphin in St Denys.

Joyce was born in Malta in 1924 where her father was stationed with the Royal Navy.

She later moved to Gosport – where she still lives to this day – spending her childhood at Gosport High School and discovering her love for jazz music.

On every Monday for the last 20 years, Joyce has frequented The Dolphin, listening to the Harry Young Band’s sound of traditional jazz – which was therefore a fitting backdrop to her birthday celebrations.

She told the Echo: “I’ve been coming here every week for the last 20 years and it’s brilliant.

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“We’re so well looked after by everybody, and everyone has a great time.”

In working life, Joyce was a councillor for Gosport Borough Council and later became mayoress of Gosport and then Winchester in the 1990’s.

In that time, Joyce met the late Queen Elizabeth II, as well as the Duke of Edinburgh.

She also had the pleasure of meeting Princess Diana on several occasions when she visited Winchester, who Joyce fondly recalled was a ‘lovely’ person to be around.

Asked whether she had any advice on how to get the most out of life, Joyce told the Echo: “Be happy.

“I’m a happy person and have a very positive outlook on life, I’ve always been cheerful when things are difficult.

“If the sun shines during the day, it’s a bonus. I think you have to be grateful for what you have and make the most out of life.”

Harry Young, 87, band leader of the namesake band that performed at Joyce’s birthday celebrations, remarked: “We’ve been going for 20 years now, and Joyce has always been there.

“She’s a lovely person and we hope that she enjoyed her birthday, it was great to see so many friends and family in attendance.”