Chris Napier

by Mary Bevan

Chris was born at the cottage hospital in the village of Martin in Dorset in 1941. She was the second youngest of eleven children, having six brothers and five sisters, but since they were spaced out over a number of years with the eldest leaving home before the youngest was born they all managed to live comfortably in their cottage with its good-sized garden. Her father was in the army so was away from home a lot of the time. She tells us she had a very happy childhood and enjoyed her school days at Martin School, particularly the arithmetic classes.

After leaving school at age 15 Chris went to work in the Nestlé factory in Salisbury, a job she enjoyed. Every day she would ride her bike up to the bus stop at the Coote Arms pub where she would catch the bus in to work.  Later she was to leave that job for one in an Electronics Company in Blandford, and later again took in home sewing.

One evening in 1963 when she was eighteen she went to a ‘do’ at Martin Club and met her a man called Colin, who lived in the nearby village of Woodyates. It turned out to be a life-changing meeting because they were married in 1964 and moved to Canada Farm in Sixpenny Handley. The couple had two children – first Helen and then Mark – and in 1966 they moved into the house in Handley village where she still lives today. When the children were young family holidays – when they could afford them – were taken in Devon or Cornwall in a tent or a B&B. Chris still sees a lot of both her children: in fact now in her eighties, she says she doesn’t know what she would do without Helen’s love and help.

Chris’s favourite game was always darts. For many years she played in the Super League in the villages round about, including of course the pub in Wimborne St Giles. Every darts player on the circuit knew Chris and knew that if she was on the opposing team they were in for a very hard time!

Unfortunately, in 2016  in his early seventies, Colin fell ill and died soon after, leaving Chris to cope with the house and big garden alone. Her son came to the rescue in this, and helps her to tend the garden and grow the veg. As well as gardening, Chris goes to a local Keep Fit class and plays whist and bingo. She now has two granddaughters and four great grandchildren, two boys and two girls, who keep her pretty busy, but she still makes cakes – mainly sponges and fruit cakes – for everyone on her much-loved Aga. When she has time she also likes reading romances.

Chris is very happy with her life. She loves her family and is glad to be living in the countryside with all the activities village life offers. Her motto, she says, is ‘Just keep going at it’ – which certainly seems to have worked for her!