A CARE home in Yeovil celebrated the birthday of one of Britain’s best-loved fantasy authors, JRR Tolkien, on January 3.

Staff and residents at West Abbey Care Centre spent the day learning about the author - who is most famous for The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit - and reading extracts from his books.

They discovered that Tolkien was a Professor of Anglo-Saxon and English Language and Literature at Oxford University from 1945 to 1959 and a close friend of CS Lewis.

General manager, Caroline Carter, said: “We have had a fascinating day finding out all about Tolkien.

“We read excerpts from his books and watched a film about his life and influences.

“This afternoon we watched The Hobbit and I have already had a request to watch the first Lord of the Rings film one day soon.”

Extracts from the books were read to groups by activities coordinator Stephen Allen, who was dressed in full chainmail armour.

Resident Jackie added: Jackie said: “I have absolutely no idea how Tolkien could come up with such incredible stories, he must have had an amazing mind.

“I have really enjoyed finding out about his life and having the stories read by someone who looks like they’d jumped right out the book made it even more special.”

West Abbey Care, run by Barchester Healthcare, is still welcoming new residents into their homes but does have a transition period in place to keep everyone safe.

They have a varied enrichment programme to keep residents active and engaged.

To find out more about West Abbey Care Centre call 01935 411136.