HOMES in York which help look after some of society's most vulnerable people have celebrated their 60th anniversary this week.

Sir John Hunt was a brewer in the late 19th Century who died in 1933 and left funds and instructions in his will for the creation of the almshouses to help the less fortunate.

The Sir John Hunt almshouses were opened in 1954 in Fulford Road, and are run by a board of trustees, residents and staff, with 24 residents enjoying the housing.

Alan Wares, clerk to the trustees, was among the people celebrating the anniversary of the opening of the properties this week, with a Pimms and strawberries celebration on the lawns of the almshouses, along with current and former trustees and residents.

Mr Wares, who has worked with the trust for 15 years, said: "The houses are still funded through the will, and the trustees look after capital funds used for the maintenance on the site, but the residents make a contribution to living there too.

"It's nice that the trust is running in the spirit in which it was originally set up and has a foundation in which it can continue to do so. Everyone works very hard to help out the original ethos of the trust. In recent years, Paul Lund the site manager has been responsible for making the area look as nice as it does."