STAFF at a Herefordshire care home are hoping to make a resident’s 100th birthday one to remember with an ambitious task.

To mark Ivor Hill’s 100th birthday, staff at West Bank Residential Home in Ross-on-Wye are asking for 100 cards to be sent to the great-great-grandfather.

A class of schoolchildren from Australia have already got on board with the idea, which won’t be unveiled to Mr Hill until the big day on April 15.

His son Steve, 65 of Hindlip, Worcester, said his 99-year-old father is a “fantastic man” who always sees the positives in life, despite recently having a stroke and suffering from deteriorating hearing and eyesight.

He said people on their way to work at Hereford County Hospital would stop and speak to his dad, who would often be sat outside in the garden at his home in Central Avenue, just a few hundreds yards from the site.

Mr Hill said his father was renowned for his kindness, saying he was brought up to help people if it was possible, and that has stuck with him throughout life.

Born in Ross-on-Wye in 1921, the youngest of eight children, Ivor Hill spent much of his working life farming and was also a keen gardener. When the Second World War broke out he was first told his work was of national importance and couldn’t join the forces, but he did later join the East Lancashire Regiment.

Anyone who wishes to send a card should address it to West Bank Residential Home, Walford Road, Ross-on-Wye HR9 5PQ