Call for Centenarians

_{PUBLISHED 3/2/2025}

Drusillas Park invites local centenarians for a wildly special free day out

We mark our centenary this year and are keen to share the magic of meeting this milestone with anyone in Sussex or Kent who also started life in 1925 (or earlier!).

This September, we'd love to bring together those who have experienced a full century of history at a special event. We hope to welcome 100 centenarians on a single day to celebrate 100 years! This once-in-a-lifetime gathering would also beat the existing world record for the most centenarians in one place, which currently stands at 70.

At the September celebration, we'll be rolling out the red carpet and treating centenarian VIPs and their carers to a complimentary day out, where they can have a great time visiting the zoo and its inhabitants - including the lemurs: the only species to have been resident at the Park throughout its 100-year history.

Drusillas Managing Director, Cassie Poland said: “The really special thing about Drusillas is that families visit us generation after generation, so we wanted to share this magical moment of ours with fellow centenarians, offering them a special treat day where we can all share memories from the last century. “

“If you know someone who is turning or has turned 100 years or older we'd love for you to bring them along... and if we could welcome 100, 100-year-olds wouldn't that be something really special?”

The guests of honour will also be able to enjoy delicious cream teas, a nod to Drusillas origins as a charming Tea Cottage popular with early motorists, sure to spark some memories.They might also like to experience a brand-new history exhibit, in the Park’s Events Arena, which details the enormous changes Drusillas has gone through to grow into one of the South’s most loved attractions.

Founded by Captain Douglas Ann and his wife Drusilla as a Tea Cottage in 1925, the Park quickly grew to include a zoo, train and play equipment, much like the Drusillas of the present day. After Douglas’ death in 1958, his son Michael Ann started to manage the Park, expanding the zoo, restaurants and rides on offer with his wife Kitty until the 1990s.

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, who will be attending the centenary event in September to greet their very special guests.

If you know a centenarian who might like to come along, we'd love to hear from you. The families and carers of anyone aged 100 or over in 2025 are urged to get in touch by emailing: [email protected] to have their name added to the invite list for this remarkable celebration.