TOM Wright hopes to drive from Yarm to Harrogate for a "bit of a family do" for his birthday.

He does not think it is particularly special that he can still do so, but Mr Wright will celebrate his 100 birthday tomorrow.

He has no intention, either, of putting the brakes on his long driving career.

"I can't walk so well nowadays so it is handy that I can still drive. I'm still alert mentally, it's the body which is letting me down," he said.

Although he does not drive as much as he used to, he values the independence he enjoys with his car - despite the stresses and strains of modern roads.

He has been driving since October 1925, and still has a clean licence. His first driving experience came about when he needed to drive when he went to work for a Newcastle electric supply company in its testing department. As a junior engineer, he had to go out and about checking meters for major clients.

He has been driving constantly since and has never taken a test but recently renewed his driving licence, which bears no endorsements.

A widower for 25 years, he added: "My balance is not so good as it was but it makes a big difference to me that I can get out and about and do my shopping and such."

He is member of Egglescliffe Parish Church and attends Sunday services regularly and is hoping to receive a birthday greetings from the Queen for his birthday.

What does he attribute his long life to?

"Well, I have always been interested in so many things. While you take an interest in things outside yourself, you keep your mind alert instead of letting it vegetate," he said.

"I'm a little deaf now, which is a nuisance sometimes, but apart from that, I shouldn't grumble," he said.

Pictured right: Tom Watson, when he was featured in the D&S Times last year. - D&