RESIDENTS of Berryhill Retirement Village in Stoke-on-Trent sprang a birthday surprise on Mayor Sheila Woodyatt last week.

Clr Woodyatt MBE, and her consort Neville Woodyatt requested to visit Berryhill after a turf cutting ceremony in March when she donned a hard hat and shovel to launch building work on the Ryfields site, set to be completed next year.

But residents had secretly organised a small birthday party in the grounds for the Mayor after she had completed the tour.

Berryhill resident, Joyce Clulow, hosted the visit and gave Sheila a guided tour of the facilities.

Joyce proudly showed off her own flat and said: "Our homes are self-contained which gives us a lot of choice - I can stay in and cook for myself and dinner guests or book a table at the village restaurant and meet friends there."

She added: "The security's really good but it doesn't intrude - my television connects up with a camera in the grounds of the village so I can let visitors in as I please - at night we use it to watch a small family of foxes in the garden.

"It's great, a live wildlife documentary!"

In the gym, the mayor was shown a photo collage of villagers who had realised new ambitions.

One resident, May, had overcome her fear of lifts and was pictured going up in the village elevator.

After the tour, the Mayor was presented with a birthday cake in the village gardens.

She said: "I think Berryhill is absolutely wonderful. All the activities and facilities are marvellous and they really give people a new lease of life.

"We're looking forward to having a village like this in Warrington.

Joyce, who has been closely involved in consultation meetings with Warrington pensioners and Grosvenor Housing Association, a key partner in the village development, told the Mayor: "Berryhill is a great community because the residents are so closely involved in running it and the facilities have been carefully planned.

But Ryfields should be even better because we are learning more about Berryhill all the time and can incorporate improvements into the new Warrington village.

"For a start the flats will be bigger."