Search on for mystery Texan pen pal who brought cheer to elderly
Unknown US mum replies to letter writing initiative at Omagh nursing home
RESIDENTS of a Co Tyrone nursing home are looking for a mystery letter writer from America.
So far, all that Springlawn House occupants know about the sender of a package of colourful hand-crafted letters in response to a pen pal initiative is that she is a stay-at-home mum from San Antonio, Texas.
Despite t he l a unch of a #Findbrittney appeal that has already reached over 37,700 people on social media, the campaign has so far failed to track down the mysterious US author.
And now Clara Robinson, manager of Springlawn House in Omagh, is asking the public to use their contacts to help them identify her.
“We recently held an initiative to find pen pals for residents because visits are limited during Covid-19,” she said.
“We were overwhelmed with support from people hoping to virtually befriend our residents.
“One set of letters, however, came as a huge surprise to us all.
“The package was from Texas, in the USA. It contained nine personalised letters — one for each resident who featured in the pen pal campaign.
“Each letter was enclosed in a coloured hand-crafted envelope with beautiful hearts, feathers and butterfly decorations.”
Ms Robinson said there was no surname or address with Brittney’s package of letters so they can’t yet return the kindness.
“All that is known of Brittney is that she is a stay-at-home mother from San Antonio, Texas,” Ms Robinson said.
“She also described how she took careful steps for infection control by closing each letter with washi tape instead of sealing the envelopes by mouth.
“S p r i n g l a wn Hou s e has worked hard to successfully protect all our residents from Covid-19 throughout the pandemic so we really appreciated this extra effort.”
Springlawn House hopes to send Brittney a Thank You parcel, containing Tayto crisps and Dairy Milk chocolate.
“She said she didn’t expect a response back, she just wanted to send smiles,” Ms Robinson said.
“This lady had never made contact with the home before, so it was a real surprise.”
“Our Fa c e b o o k posts to #Findbrittney have reached over 13,000 people so far, and Twitter support has reached over 24,700. But we haven’t been able to find her yet.”
Ms Robinson said residents were amazed and delighted that letters had come from far away, including America.
“The pen pal initiative has given everyone a lift at Springlawn House,” she said.
“Each resident taking part is now connected with a person who shares similar interests.”
Ms Robinson said they have tried to create something positive from the limited visiting hours imposed by the pandemic.
“It has given us a chance to build on our relationships because we have more one-to-one time with our clients,” she said.
“I am so proud of my very strong work team.
“We have great support from the families, who trust in us to look after their family. They have been so understanding.”
Thanking everyone who has helped the #Findbrittney campaign, Ms Robinson said Brittney can get in touch at springlawn@ hotmail.com. You can also help #Findbrittney by sharing posts from Springlawn Group of Nursing Homes on Facebook.