A 90-YEAR-old animal lover from Wotton under Edge recently celebrated his birthday with a special tea party and a bit of a sing song.

Carson Emerson, a resident at Pennwood Lodge care home in Wotton, was born in Chipping Sodbury in 1935.

He started out his career working on a farm, where he spent most of his time looking after the cows.

Carson spent many a night sleeping in the fields when they were calving.

His caring nature was not only present in his work, but also in his hobbies, where he would breed budgies in his spare time.

He also loved to spend time gardening, especially growing roses.

Carson is very sociable and really enjoys talking to other people, and he loves to sing too.

It is easy to see why his wife Kathleen got together with him after meeting him many years ago at Chipping Sodbury Fair.

Kathleen and Carson had three daughters and one son together.

Carson said that his longevity is down to his wife and to always looking on the bright side of life.

To celebrate his big 90th birthday, Carson had a garden visit with wife Kathleen in the morning, and spent his time socialising with the staff and other residents at a socially distanced tea party.

β€œIt was lovely to be able to make sure Carson saw his wife and spent time socialising – two of his favourite things in life,” said Naomi, one of the team at Pennwood Lodge.

Naomi provided some entertainment by singing some of the songs he loves by Elvis Presley and The Beatles.

His favourite song, which he sings to staff most days, is Love Me Tender by Elvis.

There were also two birthday cakes, one provided by Kathleen, and one cooked by the chef at the home.

Carson enjoyed his cakes, along with his favourite tipple, a good old cup of tea.