Islington has opened its heart to a woman with no surviving family on her 100th birthday by sending cards to her care home.

Brigid Parker, 99, who lives at Cheverton Lodge near Archway, was presented with a card, a birthday cake and flowers by Islington Council leader Cllr Kaya Comer-Schwartz.

The care home had appealed for 100 cards to be sent to her for her birthday on Christmas Eve. The Islington Gazette published the appeal last week.

Cllr Comer-Schwartz said: “In Islington, we stand up for our community and care for one another, so when I heard about the care home’s appeal to ensure Brigid will mark her milestone 100th birthday surrounded by good wishes and celebration messages, I knew the people of this borough would open their hearts to her.”

Born in Dublin, Brigid came to the UK in 1939 to train as a nurse. After travelling the world with her husband, she settled in Islington to work as a dental nurse and has lived in the borough since.