A NEWPORT care home celebrated its 25th birthday with a surprise party.

Ashton Park Residential Home on Waterloo Road marked its quarter of a century with food, champagne and entertainment for its owners and residents on Thursday.

Some of the 26 members of staff at the care home organised the whole thing as a surprise for owners Dorothy Roderick and Jennifer Vodden and its 18 residents.

The two owners were working as sisters at the Royal Gwent Hospital in intensive care when they decided to leave and open up their own care home.

Mrs Roderick, 63, said they both loved looking after elderly people and decided to have a change.

She said: "We had never been business people and we could see us doing it for five years."

But 25 years later and they are still there.

Mrs Roderick said the residents were all involved in the party and especially enjoyed the entertainment by a live singer.