Birthday girl Gladys celebrates turning 100 with 300 cards and first-ever Facetime
All Gladys wanted for her 100th birthday was a visit from the ice cream man, so staff at her care home made it happen.
They spent weeks creating a cardboard ice cream van and played the ice cream van music to deliver cones to the Prestwood Lodge residents on Saturday.
And after an appeal on social media, Gladys Stokes also received more than 300 birthday cards, balloons and a professionally-made cake.
Kayleigh Ashmore, social activities coordinator at the Stourbridge home, said: "For her 99th birthday she had the ice cream man come to give her a 99, so all she wanted for her 100th was the same.
"We went to the trouble of making an ice cream van and we played the music for her, we wanted to do lots of little things.
"Since all the restrictions she has not been able to see her family, but we arranged a Facetime with them on her birthday, it was her first Facetime at the age of 100!
"She was getting up most days and saying she was going to have an awful birthday, so we wanted to help.
"A lot of random people from the community helped too, we originally asked for 100 cards and ended up with 300, I read each and every one out to her.
"She was so overwhelmed, she was brought to tears.
"People also sent her presents, balloons, poems, it was lovely, really touching.
"We had a party with old fashioned games like pass the parcel too and party food.
"It really made her day."
Gladys is originally from Bilston, and was one of the first female police officers during the Second World War, Kayleigh said.
"Gladys just loves to sing and tell stories. She also loves teddy bears and her daughter sent her one for her birthday."
