THE oldest resident of a County Durham care home welcomed dignitaries to help celebrate her 103rd birthday.

Mayor and Mayoress of Sedgefield, Cllr David Brown and his wife Elizabeth, attended a party at Willowdene Care Home for Ivy Potts yesterday.

Staff at the home, off Lizard Lane, outside the town, invited the guests to make the great-grandmother’s milestone birthday a memorable occasion. The pair presented Mrs Potts with a bouquet of flowers and enjoyed a cup of tea while they chatted about her life, family and time as a nurse at Winterton Hospital.

Mrs Potts said: “I’ve had a lovely morning. I very much enjoyed meeting the Mayor and Mayoress, they were both wonderful people.”

Originally of Bishop Middleham, she accredits her life to watching what she eats and playing tennis. She said: “I started playing tennis when they first built the tennis courts at Winterton. I didn’t think much of the game when I first played but soon grew to love it.”