Miss Caroline and Miss Jane Badland

In 1956, journal The Vegetarian reported on sisters who had both passed their 100th birthdays.

VEGETARIAN CENTENARIAN SISTERS

A World Record?

Our birthday greetings telegram on the 12th December read “Heartiest congratulations and every good wish for your hundredth birthday. This record, with your sister, is a wonderful achievement and a great help for the vegetarian cause."

Miss Caroline and Miss Jane Badland, of Kidderminster, are the first centenarian sisters in the country and probably the only living sisters in the world who have passed the five score mark. Miss Jane will be 103 in May and now Miss Caroline has celebrated her hundredth birthday. Both have the same ideas on health and have been vegetarians for about 70 years. They are also life-long abstainers. Plenty of fresh air and exercise they also think have contributed their longevity. They still walk a mile regularly to church and go from house to house distributing the church magazine.

On the Sunday before Miss Caroline's birthday the congregation at their Unitarian Church, at which they have worshipped for 91 years, included the Mayor of Kidderminster, members of the Town Council, and the local M.P. Mr. Gerald Nabarro – a special civil service in honour of these remarkable sisters. After totalling nearly 203 years between them they are still fit and active. Miss Caroline still plays the piano, and since her election to the old Kidderminster School Board 66 years ago has never failed to visit the Schools each term. Both have been members of The Vegetarian Society for many years.