A VILLAGE has come together to celebrate the milestone birthday of its oldest resident.

Friends and family of Fred Farquharson, who has lived in Purleigh for more than 50 years, gathered at the village hall yesterday to celebrate his 100th birthday.

Fred was joined by sons Geoffrey and Richard, as well as good friends Bernie Steeples and Karen Elliott.

Bernie said Fred is a “living legend” in the village and is a wonderful character to be around.

He said: “To the best of my knowledge he’s the oldest resident in the village. There are not many other residents here so that’s how we know.

“It was a consensus in the village that we all wanted to celebrate his birthday.

“Karen and I wanted to join in, so we reached out to his son who booked the venue.

“He had been looking through Fred’s address book to see who to invite, but of course half of them are dead now, so we stepped in.

“I know him just because he’s a neighbour and a bit of a legend in the village.

“He’s an amazing guy – his wife died a few years ago, so it’s just him now.

“A lot of the people in the village know who he is.

“A couple of us get his food shop and check in with him every couple of days to make sure he’s all right.

We thought we should just do something to celebrate him.”

“He’s just an incredible guy. He’s got a bit of a wicked sense of humour, and we have some good laughs.”

Fred fought in the 14th Army – also known as the ‘Forgotten Army’ – for six years during the Second World War before later settling down in the village.

He said: “I was pleasantly surprised that a party had been organised for me down at the village hall.

“It feels good to know that the villagers celebrated alongside me.

“Being 100 doesn’t feel much different to be honest.”

He added: “Purleigh is a really nice place to live. The people are nice and very friendly and I like all the neighbours around here.

“I would be sitting in by myself if it wasn’t for Bernie and Karen visiting me – they’re very nice people.”