PARTYING over-60s marked a double celebration after securing a lottery grant as the Queen turns 90.

A £1,000 National Lottery donation helped members of Bigrigg over-60s club take a "grand day out" to Hexham.

And then the group organised a special party to honour Queen Elizabeth II's 90th birthday.

Fundraiser Joan Holland applied for the money to treat the group to a special trip.

She said: "It's nice for us to be able to get out somewhere, some people don't get to go anywhere very often. The money helped to cover the cost of a coach and the meal.

"I didn't expect to get the grant so I was amazed when we got £1,000."

The club enjoyed a tour of Hexham Abbey, which included a meal, before hitting the local shops.

"I'd asked for a grand day out and it was lovely, we went to Hexham and visited the Abbey. We had a meal in the Abbey refectory and then a walk around the shops, it was very nice. The weather was very good to us," said Joan.

However, the celebrations didn't stop once they returned from Hexham.

"For the Queen's birthday our chairlady Sheila Radcliffe organised the party, it was lovely,'' Joan said.

"Most of us dressed in red, white and blue and there was entertainment from Billy Bowman. "He was singing and telling jokes between songs, he said he turned 80 recently but he can still do it!"