NEIGHBOURS surprised a Kidderminster man on his 80th birthday with a St George's Day-themed street party.

A surprise party organised for Phil Green by his family had to be cancelled due to the coronavirus lockdown, so wife Jean took it upon herself to organise her own with help from fellow residents of Franche Court Drive.

Jean, 79, told The Shuttle: "My husband Phil was feeling down because our celebrations had to be cancelled and he kept asking what we would do instead. I told him the same as every day at present.

"Unknown to him, I had asked our neighbours if they would come out at 11am to sing Happy Birthday. I had some union jack bunting, bowler hats and flags in the garage, which the neighbours had agreed to wear.

Kidderminster Shuttle:

"With Phil's help on Wednesday, we put up the bunting as I told him it was St George's Day too on Thursday.

"Then I had the problem of getting him out of the house at precisely 11am so I asked our next door neighbours, the Tibbetts, if they would invite us to coffee on their front lawn as a one off for his birthday - keeping our distance and bringing our own coffee.

"When we went out, there the neighbours were, wearing the bowler hats and waving the flags and singing Happy Birthday, For He's a Jolly Good Fellow, and the Midlands version of YNWA."

Around 16 neighbours stood in the street to sing to Phil - a retired insurance broker - and helped themselves to cupcakes left on the car by Jean.

A further surprise came during a Zoom call with the couple's two children that evening, when Jean presented her husband with a Liverpool Football Club-themed cake, which was shared with neighbours as a thank you the following day.

"Phil didn't have an inkling," said Jean. "It was difficult arranging a surprise when you're in the house with the person all the time. I had to wait for him to go in the garden before calling the neighbours.

"He was overwhelmed and over the moon."