Friends exchange the same birthday card – for 50 years
IN OUR busy lives, remembering to send a birthday card to a friend is not always easy.
But two women, who first met at school when they were aged seven, have managed to post the same card to each other every year for half a century.
Janet Brittain, from Scarborough, and her friend Lesley Charlton, who now lives in Cambridgeshire, have been exchanging the same birthday card since they were 16-year-old schoolgirls.
This year, they both turned 65 and marked their 50th ‘McTavish’ year with a special get-together last month.
Mrs Brittain, a retired teacher who runs the St James’ Community Art Centre in Scarborough, said: “I bought the card in Scotland for Lesley’s 16th birthday when I was on a Guide camp in Edinburgh. It is called a McTavish’s Eternal Birthday Card. Inside the card there are 100 little boxes and you tick which ever birthday it is.
“She sent it back to me the year after and we carried on doing it for 50 years. It’s like an institution.”
The pair started adding drawings and notes, reflecting changes in their lives.
The card is now so precious, the pair send it to each other via recorded delivery.
She sent it back to me and we carried on doing it for 50 years. Janet Brittain on the birthday card she exchanges every year with Lesley Charlton.