Birthday card appeal for Sheffield centenarian met with unprecedented response

A care home said it has been inundated with birthday cards following an appeal to help one of its residents celebrate her 105th birthday in style.
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Staff at Meadow Grange Care Home, in Dronfield, urged as many people as possible to send well-wishing messages to much-loved resident Anne Bell to help her celebrate her 105th birthday on March 15.

The message was shared across social media with carers deciding to make the occasion a day to remember for the centenarian by trying to get 105 birthday cards before the big day.

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Now, just a little over a month after issuing the plea, the care home said it has been astonished by the response.

Anne Bell has received over 500 birthday cards as she celebrates her 105th birthday soon. Anne is pictured with son Alan.Anne Bell has received over 500 birthday cards as she celebrates her 105th birthday soon. Anne is pictured with son Alan.
Anne Bell has received over 500 birthday cards as she celebrates her 105th birthday soon. Anne is pictured with son Alan.
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A spokesperson for Meadow Grange said: “We thought that 105 is such a fantastic age so why not try and get 105 cards. We absolutely didn’t expect the response we’ve had, the staff and Anne’s family are completely overwhelmed by it.

“It’s been really nice to know that there are some kind people out there. The cards just keep coming in volume, we’ve even had ambulance crews and school children dropping them in. On Friday we had 105 cards – the exact amount we needed all in one day.

“So far we’ve got about 572 cards but we won’t actually know until we open them just how far we have reached.”

Anne Bell has received over 500 birthday cards as she celebrates her 105th birthday soonAnne Bell has received over 500 birthday cards as she celebrates her 105th birthday soon
Anne Bell has received over 500 birthday cards as she celebrates her 105th birthday soon
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Anne was born on March 15, 1915, in Page Hall, where her father worked as a butcher.

As a teen, she worked as a shop assistant before meeting her husband Jack, a draftsman, whom she later married at St Cuthbert's Church, in Fir Vale, on June 17, 1937.

The pair moved to Millhouses and had two children, a son and a daughter, before eventually retiring to a bungalow in Dronfield in 1984.

Anne’s hobbies include sewing and knitting and she lived independently until shortly before her 100th birthday, moving to Meadow Grange Care Home in 2015.

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She enjoys visits from her two grandchildren, four great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.

The care home staff will be throwing a party for the centenarian on Sunday, March 15, where there will be a cake, donated for free following the appeal, and undoubtedly lots of cards to open.

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