Lonely gran is sent 1,200 Xmas cards from all across the world
NANCY Letham always adored hanging Christmas cards from loved ones.
But as time passed, the festive greetings grew fewer, as many of the 92-year-old’s dear friends sadly passed away.
However, there has been a bumper mailbag for the great-great-grandmother this Christmas – after an appeal from her granddaughter, Leo Sheppard, 44, resulted in more than 1,000 cards being sent to her from all over the world.
Miss Sheppard made an online plea to the pensioner’s neighbours in Kelty, Fife, asking them to send her a card, and the post soon went viral.
It said: ‘Most of her friends have passed and her little strings for her cards are not filling up as much – her cards are everything to her. I’m wondering if people can send her a Christmas card, and give her a Christmas to remember!’
Miss Sheppard’s hope of getting 20 to 30 extra cards soon turned into hundreds – with around 50 a day being delivered.
Since the start of this month, flowers, pictures from children and around 1,200 cards have been sent.
Letters have come from as far afield as America, India, New Zealand and all across Europe. A class of school pupils in
Portugal sent an envelope containing 30 hand-drawn pictures for Mrs Letham.
Miss Sheppard said: ‘It just started out as something to the village. I put the feelers out in October to see if anyone would send her a card this year to cheer her up.
‘Then it just went wild. We must have around 1,200 cards by now.
‘[Gran] said it has restored her faith in humanity. You should see her face.
‘She’s practically blind so I have to go over and read each card out to her. It’s quite time consuming but it’s been really nice for her.
‘The biggest surprise was a big envelope from a school class in Portugal. They had each drawn her a picture – there was about 30 pictures. It’s been great.’