Appeal for 100 birthday cards for Worsley resident’s Christmas eve centenary

ONE hundred birthday cards to mark a resident’s 100^th year is the aim of an appeal from staff at a Worsley care home.

Staff at Alderwood Care Home are appealing for birthday cards for Edna Shenton, who reaches her centenary on Christmas eve.

They hope to receive one birthday card for each year of Edna’s life, which began on 24^th December 1919, in Higher Blackley, Manchester.

She was born on the now gone Little Lane, off Crab Lane, before later moving to Cecil Road, Blackley, when she started attending Harperhey High School for Girls.

After school, she held a number of jobs, before settling on an office role at a shirt manufacturer. While working there, she met her future husband, Jack Shenton.

Jack was a friend of Edna’s brother, also called Jack, as they served in the army together. After a blind date, Jack used his leave to see Edna and they eventually married at St Andrews Church, Blackley, with the reception at the Golden Lion Pub on 19^th November 1938.

Following the wedding, Jack was posted to India before the Second World War broke out, and it was six years before he returned to England.

After the War, Edna and Jack purchased her childhood home, on Cecil Road, and eventually had three children.

The following years, Edna sold their house to buy a fish and chip shop. They sold again and moved to Chorlton to look after Jack’s mother and then to Middleton, where Edna eventually worked for Post Office Telephones, managing the engineers.

Edna’s son, Frank Shenton, followed in his mother’s footsteps and joined the company the Monday after her retirement on the previous Friday.

He said: “Little did I know then that I would work there many years and, eventually, I too retire. I just hope I get to receive as long a pension from them as she has over the years.”

Edna moved into Alderwood Care Home in October 2014, where she is visited regularly by family and friends.

With her 100^th birthday approaching, staff wanted to make the occasion extra special by presenting her with a card for each year of her life.

Emma Willoughby, home manager at Alderwood Care Home, said: “To make Edna’s day extra special, we would like her to receive 100 birthday cards.

“If anyone would please like to help us by sending a birthday card it would be greatly appreciated and would go a long way to making Edna feel like the special lady she is.

“Please send them to Edna Shenton, Alderwood Care Home, Simpson Road, Worsley, Greater Manchester, M28 1LT.”