An 85-year-old care home worker has said she has no plan to retire any time soon after celebrating 30 years of service.

Jean Wood works as a kitchen assistant at Eglantine Villa Bupa Care Home, in Dartford, where 18 of the residents are younger than she is.

Jean, who lives in Horton Kirby, first started working at Eglantine Villa in 1992 as the home’s chef but swapped roles with the new cook to give him the chance to develop his career.

As a kitchen assistant, she helps to prepare and serve the residents their meals and enjoys having a chat with them in the dining room at lunchtime.

But it was Jean's turn to be taken care of and spoiled with a surprise party and cake to celebrate her 30-year anniversary of working at the home.

She was presented with a bouquet and a framed service award as her fellow staff showered her with hugs, presents and words of recognition.

Eglantine Villa's Sherill Thomas said: “It was fantastic to surprise Jean with a party to thank her for her 30 years of incredible service. She is such an integral part of our team, so it was a great opportunity to express our gratitude.”

Angela Weller, who also works at the home, said Jean’s energy and enthusiasm was a great source of inspiration for the team.

She said: “Jean’s positive approach, years of experience and bubbly personality are a real asset to Eglantine Villa. She epitomises the caring and resilient nature of care home workers.”

Married to her 90-year-old husband, Bernard, Jean has two children, Christine and Lesley, as well as six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Jean's granddaughter, Caro Beckley, followed in her grandmother’s footsteps and started working at Eglantine Villa when she was 16.

Now at 34, Caro gets her grandmother as her work pal as she is a full-time carer.

Before becoming a care worker, Jean had worked at a garden nursery when younger, and developed a love for the outdoors.

However, she said there was only so much gardening, washing and ironing she could do to fill her time at home. Instead, she loves being active and interacting with the residents at Eglantine Villa.

Jean could be one of the county's oldest care workers, and she intends on keeping it that way as she has no plan to hang up her apron anytime soon.

Jean's favourite part of her job is the community-led aspect of care work and how everyone at her job is happy to help.

She said: “If you want to join a family, a care home is a great place to be. We take great care of our residents and all work together as one big team.

“We really are a big family at Eglantine Villa – everyone always helps each other out. For example, if my husband can’t drop me off at work, there is always someone who is happy to pick me up.”