FERNHURST Village Hall was packed on Sunday for the 100th birthday of popular resident Reg Parkhouse.

Dad, grand-dad, great grand-dad and officially Fernhurst’s oldest resident, he celebrated the landmark occasion with more than 50 well wishers, some of whom had come from as far away as New Zealand.

Mr Parkhouse gave a speech before he cut his 100-shaped cake and everyone sang ‘Happy Birthday’.

A familiar figure around the village on his mobility scooter with its REG registration, the hall was festooned with helium balloons spelling out REG 100.

In long memory of his late wife Lavender, the table decorations were created with a lavender theme.

The celebrations continued on Tuesday, when Mr Parkhouse was special guest at the Good Companions Christmas lunch in the village hall, and at a lunchtime gathering for close family members on the actual date of December 12.

Born in Northchapel, the family moved to Fernhurst when he was six – and he has lived in the village ever since.

Mr Parkhouse’s father was a farmworker, who served with the Coldstream Guards in WWI.

In Fernhurst, the family first lived in Upperfold Farm, then moved to Lower House Farm.

Recalling those long ago days, Mr Parkhouse said: “It took a lot of candles to get a decent light in the bedrooms.

“We had a well, of course, and the usual toilet down the garden.

“Haymaking was a special time, with the men having a barrel of beer in the barn. I must admit I had a taste sometimes.”

He left school aged 14 to start working for a living, initially as a gardener earning £1 a week, before training as a mechanic.

During World War II, he joined the Territorial Army as a mechanic and continued to work as a mechanic at ICI, based near Fernhurst, until he retired in 1980.

A pillar of village life , he was a leader of 1st Fernhurst Scouts in the 1950s.

“The party went very well,” his son Terry said. “We were pleasantly surprised by the amount of people who showed up.

“The village hall was full of friends and relations. Reg has three grand-daughters and two great grand-daughters and they were there.

“He has spent most of his life in the village and now lives next to the hall.

“He’s always on the move. He won’t keep still,” Terry added.