Residents and employees at the Bannatyne Lodge Nursing Home in Manor Way, Peterlee, threw a party to mark the 63rd anniversary of Victory In Europe (VE) day.

Peterlee Mayor Mary Cartwright also joined in the celebrations and drew a raffle which had a war-time hamper with treats such as a limited ration of chocolate, stock cubes and syrup.

Entertainment was also provided by Paul Riker, who donned costumes to imitate wartime figures Winston Churchill and Adolf Hitler.

The home was decked out in flags and newspapers and posters from the wartime era and around 40 of the residents and their families enjoyed the day's celebrations, which included a buffet tea.

Dawn Minto, the home's activities co-ordinator, said the residents, most of whom would have been in their 20s and 30s when Victory in Europe was confirmed, had shared their memories from the period.

She added: "The residents all really enjoyed themselves and loved reminiscing about the good old days. They spoke about what life was like back then and I found it really interesting.

"The hamper was created to be as authentic as possible, for instance, chocolate was limited, so we only put one bar of chocolate in, and we didn't have any fruit in it."