Over 500 Birthday Cards to Elmtree House Centurion

On Sunday 22nd March, Elmtree House resident Ruth Parr celebrated her 100th birthday. Her family asked Liverpool to mark the occasion by sending a card. Around 500 arrived, from as far as Australia and Vietnam.

Ruth was born in Berlin in 1926. As a child she was sent to Lithuania during the Second World War. She eventually made her way to Merseyside, more than 900 miles from where she started, after meeting her husband from Newton-Le-Willows. It is, by any measure, an extraordinary life.

What the family asked for

Ahead of Ruth's birthday, her family made a simple public appeal: send a card. The response from Liverpool and beyond was considerable. Around 500 cards arrived at Elmtree House before the day was out, many containing personal photographs, children's drawings, handwritten poems, and individual letters.

Ruth's daughter Marion responded on behalf of the family: "Thank you from the bottom of our hearts."

What the team at Elmtree House did

The care team and kitchen staff prepared the home for the occasion, decorating throughout and laying on an afternoon tea that, by all accounts, kept going well into the day. It was a resident-focused event, organised by the people who know Ruth best.

As a home, we were struck by the volume and the quality of what arrived. Every card had been written by hand. Many people had taken real time over them.

Why it matters

Stories like Ruth's are a reminder of what a care home at its best actually looks like: a community, not just a building. Families who are researching residential care for a loved one often want to understand the culture of a home before they visit. This is ours.

If you would like to find out more about life at Elmtree House, you can arrange a visit or make an enquiry here.

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