A LIFELONG resident of Cawthorne celebrated his 100th birthday surrounded by friends.

Born in the village, John Victor Haynes - known as Vic - celebrated becoming a centenarian on Monday.

With a passion for machinery - which he developed while working at Fields Mill for 24 years - Vic is never alone, surrounded by a village full of people who care about him, particularly his relative Lorraine Broadhead.

She told the Chronicle: “He’s still fitter than many put together.

“That’s physically and mentally - he’s always doing his little experiments with machinery.

“He’s lost his eyesight a bit and has hearing aids now, though I’m pretty sure that’s selective.”

Even at 100, Vic takes no medication, with Lorraine sharing that he ‘once took an aspirin in 1947’.

Beyond his ‘experiments’, Vic also makes model steam engines - some of which are on display at Cawthorne Museum - and continues to play clarinet and saxophone, which he used to play in his jazz band The Red Flash.

Vic told Lorraine that the secret to his long and healthy life is simply ‘deep breathing exercises every morning and never eating processed food’.

On Sunday, the unstoppable force - who 11 years ago the Chronicle reported was the town’s ‘oldest paperboy’ - had a pint at Cawthorne Club who threw a party for him, and yesterday the Methodist church hosted a special coffee morning to celebrate the local icon.

At his party, Vic said: “I’m enjoying it.

“They’re handing about my card from the King about so everyone can see it.”