ONE Father Christmas was not enough for a group of pensioners preparing to enjoy their Christmas party, so they have come up with 16.

More than 200 members of Get Everyone Motivated (Gem), a scheme run for elderly people by Darlington Borough Council's warden services team, will attend a party in the Freemasons' Hall, in Archer Street, Darlington, on Monday.

In the run-up to the party, pensioners were challenged to make a life-sized model of Father Christmas for the party, and many entrants enlisted the support of local schools, organisations and supermarkets to get the raw materials.

With an average age of 85 and some as old as 95, the Gem members meet weekly to take part in classes designed to keep them fit and active.

The Christmas party will double as an awards ceremony for a host of achievements for the club's members throughout the year.

Warden services manager Jill Walton said: "The day should be extremely entertaining. The warden services believe that the wider community should be made aware of what rewards sheltered housing and regular exercise can bring for older people. You are only as old as you feel, and many of our members are older than you would believe by looking at them."