Lifelong Stags fan and Mansfield Chad reader celebrates his 90th birthday

Keith Painter, who was born on January 30, 1934, is now in a wheelchair and uses a whiteboard to communicate following his motor neurone disease diagnosis, celebrated his 90th birthday at Berry Hill Park Care Home

The 90-year-old marked the landmark with his wife of 66 years – Dorothy Painter, daughter Julie and son Clive, along with care home staff and close friends.

Motor neurone disease (MND) is a condition that affects the brain and nerves. It causes weakness that gets worse over time. Symptoms of motor neurone disease include muscle weakness, twitches, slurred speech and difficulty swallowing.

Mrs Painter said her husband was diagnosed with the life-limiting condition when he received medical treatment following a fall that resulted in a broken hip. She said she could not praise the NHS enough for their support during and after his diagnosis. “The NHS have been fantastic with him – and they have been very good to us”, she said.

Mr Painter’s party was also attended by representatives from Mansfield Town Community Trust – and the lifelong Stags fan received a signed football from his favourite club and was gifted a Stags-themed cake by the care home to kickstart the celebrations.

Mr Painter, who was a joiner and carpenter by trade from the age of 15, volunteered for the Red Cross for 30 years, becoming Mansfield group leader for 10 years. Throughout his career, Mr Painter was also in the Army Reserves – serving in Kensington Barracks in the 1950s.

“During his service, he actually helped the London Metropolitan Police and arrested young men misbehaving in Trafalgar Square, where he was featured in the Police magazine for his help,” Mrs Painter said.

Mr Painter later worked as a medic at Welbeck Colliery before retiring at the age of 60. Prior to Mr Painter’s diagnosis, the father-of-two regularly went dancing with his wife, volunteered in the community, was an active member at Mansfield Woodhouse Methodist Church, and loved visiting the theatre – with fond memories of Mansfield Civic Theatre, now known as Mansfield Palace Theatre on Leeming Street.

“We had a brilliant time with Keith at his party thanks to the care home, and his football cake was fantastic,” said Mrs Painter.

Mr Painter, who said he still loves watching football on the TV, won football secretary of the year during his time in the Mansfield Youth League.

Mrs Painter said it was great to share about her husband’s birthday in your Chad, as she said the couple are lifelong readers – recalling the Chronicle Advertiser days.

Janet Brandham, care coordinator at the care home, said it was “lovely” to see all of Keith’s family and friends gather for the special occasion.

She added: “Keith is such a lovely man, with a loving family and he really loves the Stags – it was great for him to have a special day celebrating and getting a signed ball from the team as a present.”

Many happy returns Mr Painter, and thank you for supporting our newspaper for all these years.