A SURPRISE party was staged to celebrate the 70th birthday of a couple and their close friend.

Sue Shaw, from Widnes, couldn’t believe her eyes when she turned up at the home of her son Stewart, 44, on Birchfield Road in Farnworth.

“We were told we were going to Liverpool in a minibus to see my 18-year-old granddaughter Jazmin dancing,” said Sue, of Clincton View, Hough Green.

“A limousine pulled up outside the house. I was in total shock.

“When we walked into my son’s kitchen there were 80 people there, all our friends and family in 70s costumes.

“They gave us the most fantastic joint birthday imaginable.”

Sue turns 70 on Boxing Day, her husband Dave celebrated his birthday on November 5 and their daughter-in-law’s mum Elaine Garner, of Brandon, marked her milestone on Tuesday.

“How they kept it from us I will never know,” added Sue.

“My family had travelled from Cornwall and Elaine’s relatives had flown over from Dublin.

“We haven’t come down to earth yet. We want to thank them. It means so much to us.”