Turkish delights for the silver jubilee Herbert Street party: For 25 years a group of neighbours have been staging friendly invasions across Britain and Europe

YOU WOULD think they would be sick of the sight of each other. But the residents of Herbert Street, Treherbert, South Wales, are so fond of their neighbours that they are holidaying together for the 25th time.

With deposits paid for the pounds 380 fortnight in Turkey, the group of 65 is set to drink and sing to a quarter-century of communal revelry that has seen the residents disappear en masse to Hastings, Poole and Benidorm.

'It's lovely. We really enjoy ourselves. You don't get sick of your friends,' said Jean Taylor, 46, who has been on every trip with her husband, Gwyn, 47. Mrs Taylor is sister-in-law to Dave Lewis, the organiser of the trips, who lives opposite in the street of two-up, two-down houses in the Rhondda Valley. He co-ordinates fortnightly meetings of the holiday group in the New Inn, the local pub. The event began when Mr Lewis took his extended family to a caravan park in Great Yarmouth in his minibus.

'We had a lovely time all of us. The next year we went to Dawlish and people in the street said 'Why don't you hire a bus so we can come?' ' said Mrs Taylor, whose son Paul was three months old on the first holiday. Now 25, Paul has not been for the past three years, preferring to travel to rugby internationals with his friends.

The peak year for the street came a decade ago when 104 people took their first step abroad to Benidorm.

'We were so excited. We had 44 hours travelling. When the coach arrived at 3am they were waiting for us. They said 'We have kept the bar open in case you are dry'. We came out at 5.30am, it was wonderful,' she added.

The circle of friends has now expanded from Herbert Street to include people from neighbouring roads, and to relatives and workmates. The silver jubilee will be in Gumbat, Turkey, with the residents leaving in two groups from Cardiff and Bristol airports.

'We always make sure there are people at home and everything is safe,' said Mrs Taylor, of a street where friends and neighbours keep their doors open all day to visitors.