A FORMER Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire who opened a home for the elderly is helping it celebrate its tenth anniversary.

Sir Marcus Worsley, of Hovingham Hall, near York, opened The Limes residential home, in Sowerby.

He was invited in his capacity as Lord Lieutenant which was a role he held from 1987 to 1999.

The Abbeyfield Society residential home was ten-years-old yesterday and Sir Marcus was invited back.

He said: "The home is extremely well run and Abbeyfields is an enlightened organiser of old people's homes. I thought it rather touching to be invited back and I am going along."

The Thirsk and Sowerby Abbeyfield Society was formed in 1969 and first opened Mitchell House, Thirsk.

Then several years later it opened The Limes, which has nine bedsits for elderly people and an onsite housekeeper.

The Limes is located on Front Street in a former Thirsk and Rural District Council building.

Peter Bardon, company secretary of the Thirsk and Sowerby group, said: "To mark the ten years is quite an achievement.

"It came about as we already had Mitchell House and we felt we needed another house."