A LONG Ashes resident who recently celebrated his 102nd birthday, enjoyed a nip of the amber nectar to celebrate the day, thanks to kindly Morrisons supermarket staff.

Sidney Woods was thrilled when Skipton Morrisons said they wanted to join in with celebrating his amazing achievement and milestone.

Nick Butterfield, who does the shopping and delivery for elderly and vulnerable people around Craven as part of the Morrisons Doorstep Delivery service, drops in to see Sidney every week with his groceries.

But last week there was an extra special delivery among the list of groceries (the amber liquid type) to help him celebrate.

“I’ll enjoy a wee dram tonight- thank you,” Sidney said when receiving his gift.

Sidney has been a loyal customer of Morrisons for a long time and used to go into the Skipton store to shop himself, until last year when community champion, Clare Reed, persuaded him that Morrisons could help.

It wasn’t long before Sidney started using this delivery service and he hasn’t looked back, ordering his favourite dinners and Masham beers every week.

Sidney was a captain in the Merchant Navy for over 50 years serving his country during WW2, and he still likes to wear his ‘Old Sea Dog’ cap when out and about.

“We’re looking forward to the next birthday, Sidney,” said Claire.

The Doorstep Delivery service is easy and convenient for customers to use.

A spokesman for Morrisons said: “Customers simply ring 0345 6116111 (option 5) with their shopping list and tell someone from the customer service team what they want to buy.

“The next day the shopping is collected, packed and delivered to their doorstep and the driver then takes payment from the customer.”

The convenience of the service and the much reduced risk of catching the virus through not having to enter a store personally or the added difficulty of getting transport into town means doorstep deliveries are perfect for Sidney and he intends to keep on using them.