Teddy bear birthday card appeal to mark Eileen’s centenary

AN APPEAL for 100 teddy bear themed birthday cards to mark a Huddersfield resident’s 100^th birthday has been issued by the care home where she lives.

Eileen Goddard, who will turn 100 next month, on 5^th June, lives at Aden View Care Home, on Perseverance Street, Primrose Hill.

With the home currently closed to non-essential visitors due to the coronavirus pandemic, staff are looking for alternative ways to make Eileen’s big day special.

As family are unable to visit the home, carers are planning a “social distancing patio party”, which will include entertainment for Eileen and her fellow residents.

They are also hoping to receive as many bear themed birthday cards as possible – as Eileen has a collection of teddies she cares for like children.

Staff are wanting to show Eileen that, despite the closure, her family, friends and others in the community are thinking of her on her centenary.

Eileen was born in Leeds a year-and-a-half after the end of the First World War, with the country still recovering in the aftermath of the conflict.

She was a secretary before the outbreak of the Second World War and then she worked in the fuel rationing office.

After the War, Eileen married John Goddard, who she met when visiting Kildwick Hall, North Yorkshire, for lunch with her family. John was playing the grand piano at the event and the pair caught each other’s eyes in the crowd.

Eileen said: “I feel very lucky to have gone for lunch at the hotel and met the love of my life playing a grand piano.”

The pair married in 1949 and had their only child, Pauline, two years later, in 1951. As a family, they enjoyed travelling together, climbing mountains, and spending weekends on various boats they owned over the years.

They lived in Ingleton, Scarborough and Keighley, before John passed away and Eileen settled in Huddersfield. She moved into Aden View Care Home in February 2015.

Kimberley Mckay, home manager at Aden View Care Home, said: “We want to make a big fuss of Eileen on her centenary – despite the restrictions we’re all currently experiencing.

“So we’re appealing for 100 teddy bear themed birthday cards to mark 100 years of her life. Eileen is obsessed with teddy bears. She tucks them in at night, gives them drinks and rocks them.

“Anyone who could make a card with their children or write a card and mail it in would be hugely appreciated.

“We’ll be holding them until Eileen’s big day, when we’ll surprise her with the cards, a cake and a social distancing patio party in our garden.”

Anyone who would like to send Eileen a birthday card should address to Eileen Goddard, Aden View Care Home, Perseverance Street, Primrose Hill, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD4 6AP.