AN 'AMAZING' care home resident in York celebrated reaching his 100th birthday recently with a special party.

Dennis Barker, a resident at the Ivy Lodge retirement home in Haxby, was born on May 15 1922 and has spent the last 100 years clocking up some "amazing" achievements – all the way up to joining the residents at the York home.

Dennis' early years found him tinkering with watches and radios, which stood him in good stead as he was called up to join the army at 18 in 1940, during the Second World War, where he became a wireless operator. A love of music meant he was the perfect person to play music to the troops - and he was known as “DJ Dennis” by his colleagues.

Dennis married Jennifer and together they share a love of classical music and travelling to Italy on holiday. On one occasion, they flew to Venice on the legendary Concorde and returned on the Orient Express – which Dennis said was a "real trip of a lifetime. "

York Press:

Lisa Walbridge the registered manager at Ivy Lodge Retirement Home, said: “Ever since Dennis joined us, shortly after his wife, he has surprised us with his stories and achievements.

"The Concorde trip was followed by a trip to Buckingham palace, where the couple met the Queen in recognition of their cancer charity work – where he said he drank the best wine he’s ever tasted.

"We’re just hoping that we can keep up the five-star service he’s become accustomed to and might have to improve our wine selection."

Before coming to Ivy Lodge Retirement Home, Dennis and his wife Jennifer lived just a few minutes away in Haxby, where he has always been very independent. However, despite having a clean driving license and no accidents from the age of 16 to 99, he sadly had to surrender his car.

When he was asked what was the secret to keep going all these years, Dennis advises everyone to "just keep breathing."

The staff and residents of Ivy Lodge Retirement Home joined together to celebrate Dennis’ special 100 years with a party, where they did their best to give Buckingham Palace and Concorde a run for their money.

Ivy Lodge Retirement Home is a converted former Edwardian home in a quiet residential area of Haxby, York. Personal care is provided for elderly residents, to stay healthy and continue to enjoy a good quality of life. All the everyday activities such as washing, dressing and cooking are taken care of by a team of permanent staff, who offer a friendly face to residents. The home is "proud" to be rated by the CQC as 'Outstanding' for their level of care and 'Good' in all other aspects.