Tea Party of the Century!
PUBLISHED 10/09/25
100-year-old Zoo Invites 100-year-old Guests to Share Its Centenary Celebrations
Under glorious sunshine, Drusillas Park were thrilled to welcome some incredibly special guest this week; more than 20 centenarian VIPs to celebrate some truly remarkable milestones: 100 years of Drusillas and over 2,000 years of combined life experience!
Marking its own centenary year, the Sussex attraction invited local centenarians, along with their families and carers, to enjoy a completely free day out. The guests of honour enjoyed everything the Park has to offer, from spotting animals at the zoo, to indulging in a nostalgic cream tea - just like the ones served when Drusillas first opened as a Tea Cottage in 1925.
For many of the centenarian guests, Drusillas holds fond memories from visits throughout multiple generations of their family. 101-year-old Diana Benton reminisced about ‘so many lovely family memories’ and brought along photos from the late 1940s when she first visited. 101-year-old Peter Valentine talked fondly about bringing his daughters many decades ago, and more recently his granddaughters, with Drusillas holding a special place in his family’s heart
For others, the day marked their very first trip – proving you’re never too old for a day out at the zoo! 102 year-old Ivy Bull and 100 year-old Joan McCrudden amazed staff and proved just how young at heart they were by playing on the children’s climbing frame equipment, with cheeky glints in their eyes.
Drusillas' Managing Director, Cassie Poland, said: "It’s a huge honour to welcome so many centenarians to the Park today. Their lives span the same century as Drusillas, and we’re so proud to celebrate with them. It’s wonderful to be able to bring generations together and create new memories in the place where so many family traditions have been made over the decades."
The day paused for a traditional cream tea - a yummy treat that was also tribute to the Park’s beginnings as a roadside Tea Cottage for motorists, when Captain Douglas Ann and his wife Drusilla established the Park in 1925.
Some of the centenarian guests also enjoyed meet-and-greet with the zoo’s group of lemurs. These iconic, stripe-tailed primates, featured on the Park’s logo, hold a unique place in Drusillas’ history as the only animal species to have been residents for the entire 100 years - the very first was Georgina, a ring-tailed lemur.
There were 21 people on the final guestlist comprised of men and women between 100 and 102, with a few spritely 99 year-olds on the cusp of reaching centenarian status, including Joan Murrel, grandmother of the Park’s family owners. In attendance were; Gerry Peacock (101), Lynne Willis (100), Barbara Hart (100), Peter Valentine (101), Sylvia Whitaker (101), Christine Barr (101), Joan McCrudden (100), Peggy Davis (100), Beryl Hoare (101), Alice Baldwin (99), Daphne Mclaughlan (99), Ivy Bull (102), Dorothy ‘Libbi’ Smith (101), Elsa Flint (100), Audrey Goddard (100), Diana Benton (101), Robert Heath (99), Terry Carter (100), Hetty Bath (101), Peggy Chessun (100), and Joan Murrell (99).
Founded in 1925 by Captain Douglas Ann, the Park has grown through generations of family ownership. In 1997, Drusillas was acquired by Laurence and Christine Smith, who embarked on a journey of development and modernisation. The Park remains in the Smith family to this day, and is currently managed Laurence and Christine’s children, Cassie Poland and Ollie Smith.
Drusillas’ centenary celebrations continue throughout the year. For more on the Park’s fascinating history and other upcoming events, visit: