Worthing care home 'overwhelmed' as hundreds of birthday cards are sent to 101-year-old resident with no family following appeal on Facebook

Staff at Hollywynd Rest Home, in St Botolphs Road, were overwhelmed by the love shown to 'Miss D' after a plea for cards was posted on Facebook.

It was a complete surprise for Elsa, who had a wonderful birthday and was treated to performances from St Mary's Primary School children and singer Debbie Ringwood.

Jade Vaughan, registered manager, said: "We have had more than 500 birthday cards. We are still getting cards every day and we also had lovely gifts - flowers from Greenfields Carpets and handmade gifts from Pulborough Scouts, who actually made a timeline of all historical events that have happened since the year Elsa was born, it was amazing. People of the community have been so generous and we just want to thank them for making her day so special, she was overcome with emotion and couldn’t believe how many cards she had.

"The St Mary's children came and sang to her and wished her a happy birthday, with lots of handmade cards. She wanted a cooked breakfast for her birthday, so we made sure she had this. Elsa gets a lot for support from Worthing Sight Support team. The people who work there also go out of their way to be there for her, even outside of their working times, so a big thank you to them as well."

Cards came from all over the world, including Holland, Poland and Spain.