Facebook birthday card plea for Betty Musker, 104, goes viral

A woman who loves cards has received more than 5,700 for her 104th birthday after a plea on a social network site went viral.

Betty Musker, from Golborne, near Wigan, told her great-granddaughter Alison Whittle she wanted "a nice card" for her birthday.

Her family and her care home Golborne House decided to launch a card appeal on Facebook with a group called "For the love of Betty Musker".

Mrs Musker said it was "overwhelming".

Cards have been posted for her from countries including the US, Japan, New Zealand and Australia.

Mrs Musker was overwhelmed and surprised all of the cards were for her and said it was "lovely people had taken the time out the send them".

The Facebook post said: "Betty has made cards all her life, and when I asked her what she wanted for her birthday, she said 'just a nice card, I love cards', and that's how the seed was planted.

"She's completely with it, she knows everything that's going on. But she'll be very surprised when she gets all these cards on her birthday."

Staff at Golborne House opened the cards and placed them in boxes for her to read in her own time.

Karen Alford, manager of Golborne House, said: "We just can't believe the response we have had from something as simple as a Facebook message.

"People who Betty has never met have been going out of their way to give her an amazing birthday surprise, which is just fantastic."