A resident at HC-One’s Berry Hill Park care home in Mansfield has moved in to live with her childhood friend of 78 years.

Kathleen Saville and Olive Woodward first met as students at Ravenshead School in the town when they were 11.

After leaving school, they took separate career paths. Olive became an invoice typist for Arthur Richardson Warehouse and Kathleen a supervisor at Mansfield’s telephone exchange.

However, they have always stayed in touch and since Kathleen moved into Berry Hill Park 18 months ago, Olive visited the care home for her lunch every Saturday to spend the day catching up with her much-loved friend.

Olive enjoyed her visits to Berry Hill Park so much that she decided to make it her new home, becoming a fellow resident to her best friend, Kathleen.

When asked about their secret to the long friendship, the pair revealed they “never argue or bicker, never disagree about anything” and that they “just laugh and blend together.”

Sally Tebbett, home manager at Berry Hill Park, said: “We always love to see friendships blossoming amongst residents at Berry Hill Park, so it was even more special that our care home reunited such dear friends.

“Since they have been reunited, Kathleen and Olive have been inseparable, causing just as much mischief in the home as they used to when they became friends 78 years ago.”