A man from Port Erin who turned 106 last week has said the secret to his long life has been to ‘keep moving and looking to the future’.

James (Jim) Parkes marked his incredible milestone with a party on Friday afternoon at Southlands nursing home in Port Erin, which was attended by other residents, his family and the Lieutenant Governor Sir John Lorimer.

‘The years have slipped by, and I’m not sure what I did or didn’t do to get to this age,’ Jim said.

‘You don’t count the days - you tend to look at it year by year. You’ve got to look forward to the future all the time.

‘You can’t explain why you get old, but it’s good to be motivated by something and to keep doing things.’

Jim was born on September 19, 1919, in Marylebone, London.

In early childhood he resided in Hampstead, London with his parents and three siblings, and by 19 years of age he was working in the gas board industry (a company which is now known as 'British Gas') as a representative.

The Second World War broke out in 1939 and by 1940, Jim was called up to the air force where he remained until 1946.

In September 1951, he married his now late wife Joan, and together they had three sons (Neil, Alan and David), grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

After the death of his wife in 2015, Jim lived alone but then decided it would be best to be closer to his family, moving to the Isle of Man not long after.

‘I thought it would be good for me to have some company again and so I decided to move into Southlands, where I have been living happily ever since,’ Jim said.

Jim’s happiness was on full display at his birthday party on Friday, as he regularly stood up to dance to music with care workers from Southlands.

He was also pleased to see the arrival of the Lieutenant Governor, who expressed his amazement at Jim’s ability to dance.

‘I was looking around to see which one was Jim, and I couldn’t believe it when I found out he was the one dancing,’ His Excellency said.

‘Many, many happy returns. I think it’s absolutely fantastic.’

Jim’s son, David Parkes, said his dad is constantly on his feet and will ‘talk to anyone’.

‘He’s unsteady on his feet at first, but once he has his walking aid you would think there is a motor in it,’ David said.

‘Every morning before breakfast he does a lap of the car park, and also does laps of all the floors in Southlands. It takes him ages to do the laps because he stops and talks to everyone!’

Asked how it feels to get to 106, Jim said: ‘I feel like I ought to get up and dance a bit more!

‘It’s good to move and keep moving. Keep looking to the future - that’s all you can do.’