OCTOGENARIANS celebrating their birthday or anniversary in 2014 are being sought by the Moorland Garden Hotel near Yelverton to help mark its 80th anniversary year.

With a packed calendar of events planned for the milestone, the hotel is looking for a local resident to help kick start the celebrations at a special 1930s cocktail party to be held in January.

The lucky resident will also enjoy their own tea party to celebrate with up to 20 family and friends to mark their special occasion.

In July 1934, three fields totalling 12 acres were purchased by five Plymouth business men and one woman to build the Moorland Links Hotel.

The foundation stone was laid on August 15, 1934, and the hotel opened for business nine months later on May 3, 1935.

A large ballroom with a sprung maple strip dance floor attracted guests in their hundreds to tea-dances and evening-dress balls, accompanied by the hotel's own band, Frank Fudge and his Moorland Links Orchestra.

Famous guests in the hotel's heyday included President Truman, Rex Harrison and David Niven. Purchased by business entrepreneurs Brian and Sonia Meaden in 2011, the hotel has undergone an extensive refurbishment programme to help return it to its former glory.

Anyone marking an 80th in 2014 should email the hotel at [email protected]">[email protected] or by post to Moorland Garden Hotel, Yelverton, Devon, PL20 6DA, before Friday, January 3, 2014.