A 106-year-old, who has celebrated her birthday in lockdown, has received almost 600 birthday cards for her special day.
Renee Glover is believed to be the oldest woman in Darlington and marked her 106 th birthday on June 21 with 587 birthday cards.
They cover the entire dining room wall of Wilton House care home, in Darlington, where she has lived for four years.
And include well wishes from The Queen, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Darlington MP Peter Gibson who also sent cards and letters to commemorate the day.
Renee’s granddaughter Sarah Renwick said: “We have been totally overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity of the general public and local businesses which have contributed to making this lockdown birthday so very special.”
The incredible number of birthday cards were received following an appeal from Renee’s five-generation family, who were unable to spend the day by her side during lockdown.
So they decided to ask members of the local community to send birthday cards to help make the occasion extra special.
Their original ambitious target was 106 cards, one for every year of Renee’s life. But the appeal resulted in 318 cards being posted to the care home.
Renee, who worked at the Royal Ordinance Factory in Newton Aycliffe as an inspector during the war, also received over 200 cards via a collection box that was pitched at the entrance of Tesco in Newton Aycliffe.
They were then delivered by members of the Aycliffe Bike Club who arranged a special procession to mark the occasion.
And on the day socially distanced celebrations were planned by Renee’s granddaughters and care home staff, including a singer and guitarist who performed outside the home for residents.
Subway sandwich shop in Darlington also gifted a birthday tea of sandwiches, crisps and cookies, while local business Cakes by Sarah donated a birthday cake.
Although they were unable to be to be near her on the day, Renee’s family took it in turns to visit her from outside of the home as she sat in the dining room surrounded by her birthday cards.
Emma Hardy, care home manager at Wilton House said: “Renee is an amazing lady and deserving of every single card she received, which have taken over our dining room.
“We made her birthday really special despite the social distancing protections we have in place.
“It was lovely for Renee to see her family, enjoy some music, cake and a birthday tea. Some of our other residents also got to celebrate with her from a safe two metre distance.”
