A TIGHT-knit community known for battening down the hatches against floods over the years celebrated a golden era...in the dry.

Tucking into birthday cupcakes last Friday, Bullstake Close residents toasted to the 50th birthday of their close.

City Councillor Susanna Pressel said she persuaded the city council to hold the bash to mark the milestone.

She said: "It's great to have and something to celebrate.

"We had some delicious cupcakes and the sun was shining."

Pat Puttock was one of the first to move in and has lived in number 23 since 1967.

The 80-year-old says she remembers moving in just in time to celebrate her daughter's first birthday in the new three-bedroom house.

The great-grandmother said: "There are only two of us left who have been here for the whole time.

"I used to live in Thames Street, so did my mother and my aunt.

"We all received a letter from the council saying our houses were going to be bought through a compulsory purchase order.

"But me being me I was not going to let them put me just anywhere, I wanted to chose where I ended up."

Mrs Puttock remembers going to look at the six houses in the close and visited the council to enquire.

She added: "I heard a rumour that the council were interested in those houses.

"I went to them to see if it were true and I was told 'no, no, no we are not interested.

"A month or so later I got a letter from them saying we had got the house."

Although her neighbours might have changed throughout the 50 years on the close, Mrs Puttock said the community spirit stood the test of time and the frequent floods.

She said: "I remember we would go round to each other's houses at Christmas and everyone would bring food.

"And on firework night we would all cook something, get permission to use the field and come together as a community.

"Soon after we moved in the 20 flats were finished and my mum and aunt got their own flat so we were all together again."

But the close had its fair share of disasters as floods in 1999, 2003 and 2007 forced residents to abandon their homes.

Mrs Puttock said: "During the first few floods we just moved everything upstairs and lived in the top part of the house.

"The one in 2007 was the big one.

"The whole bottom area was flooded and I remember seeing the water come through the kitchen."

In 2013 the council built a flood wall to help prevent the close from falling victim to more flooding.