News than north Norfolk has some of the longest-lived women in the country comes as no surprise to Sheringham nursing home owner Ginny Taylor, as not only are three of her residents over 100 years old, she also provides care and accommodation for no fewer than 19 over-90s Over the past few weeks, Ginny, who runs Kingsgate, in North Street, has organised birthday celebrations for centenarians Muriel Meakin and Elsie Beckett, and, in July, she helped the home's oldest resident Nancy Christie mark her 101st birthday.

News than north Norfolk has some of the longest-lived women in the country comes as no surprise to Sheringham nursing home owner Ginny Taylor, as not only are three of her residents over 100 years old, she also provides care and accommodation for no fewer than 19 over-90s

Over the past few weeks, Ginny, who runs Kingsgate, in North Street, has organised birthday celebrations for centenarians Muriel Meakin and Elsie Beckett, and, in July, she helped the home's oldest resident Nancy Christie mark her 101st birthday.

Other residents at the home include 19 men and women whose ages range from 90 - 96.

"I think it must be some kind of record," Ginny said. "And what is fantastic is that all 3 ladies are mobile and active - they are a credit to Kingsgate and we are very proud to have them here."

New figures published by the Office for National Statistics show the area's female population has the highest life expectancy at age 65 in the region, and the 12th highest in any of the 432 districts in the country.

At age 65 women will live on average to age 87, while their life expectancy at birth is 84.3 years. Men, by contrast, have a life expectancy of 78.4 at birth, and 83.5 if they make it to the age of 65, which puts the district at 169 and 65th place in the table.

Kingsgate's 3 centenarians agree that staying active is the key to a long life.

"I try to stay on my feet as much as possible, and I used to go sequence dancing with my husband, so I think that helped," Mrs Meakin said.

Ginny said living in a safe, secure environment, and enjoying nourishing meals and regular family visits were contributory factors.

Residents enjoyed a good relationship with staff, and were encouraged to stay active by taking part in activities ranging from outings and gentle exercise to reminiscence and art and craft sessions.

"I don't think there is a secret to living longer, it's just a combination of things," she said. "If you are at home and lonely you just give up, so what we try to do is to make Kingsgate a home from home - perhaps it's the sea air!"