Winnie Blagden recently celebrated her 100th birthday without any family. Having lost her husband 30 years ago and with no children in the marriage, the centenarian, who lives in Sheffield, England, didn't expect she would be honored with the celebration of a lifetime.
A few weeks before her birthday, May 31, her caregiver of four years, Darren Pinder, along with Pinder's mother, asked help from a radio station so that they could make Winnie's big day memorable. The two decided to share her story to the BBC station in Sheffield, which then created a Facebook post that encouraged its followers to send Winnie a birthday card or greetings.
The post unexpectedly went global and since then, Blagden has been receiving gifts, cards and birthday greetings from everywhere.
On Blagden's birthday party at the Sheffield Town Hall, Pinder and the radio station presented 16,000 birthday cards to her, sent by strangers from all over the world. It even included a message from Queen Elizabeth, her favorite "Downton Abbey" actor Brendan Coyle, and a note from a friend she hasn't been in touch with for six decades, according to WKRN.
"We gave her a tour and town hall had a cup of tea with the mayor. She thought we were going to take her to lunch and then she walked into a big room of people," Pinder said, FOX 28 reported.
"She told me I don't deserve this. I said, 'Winnie, you're a lovely person. You do deserve all of this and you lived to be 100.' She's just a real positive lady. She's a kind person, you know. She's always there to talk to and she's been a real grandma figure," Pinder added, according to ABC News.
Blagden's celebration, which was sponsored by the radio station, also received free food from a local pizzeria and free entertainment from a local musician, according to Inquisitr.
