Care home residents receive a postcard and letter from Her Majesty the Queen as part of ‘kindness’ project

Residents at a Whittlesey received a royal treat in the post when they were sent a postcard and letter from Her Majesty the Queen.

As part of Aliwal Manor Care Home's 'postcards of kindness' project, which asked people to write and send postcards to residents in care homes to help combat loneliness, residents were sent dozens of postcards and letters from random people across the UK - but to top it all off their unexpected arrival included a royal treat from HRH.

Pearl Ewing, of the Aliwal team, said: "A discussion was had wondering if the Queen had heard about the idea, so we decided to write a letter to the Queen telling her about the scheme and seeing if she would be able to send a card to the Excelcare Holdings care homes in Cambridgeshire.

"In no time at all residents from Excelcare Holdings received a letter from the Queen with a wonderful picture of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh.

"She also sent residents in all of the homes good wishes."

Aliwal has also received cards from schools, local destinations all over the Uk and even from America.

Pearl says the scheme was set up "to help our residents to still feel part of their community and they are not alone and someone is thinking of them.

"The postcards spark memories of events and past holidays. They inspire conversations and even ideas for activities.

"The residents get really excited about receiving the postcards and it is lovely to get the younger generation involved in communicating with older people, because they have so much to gain."

A copy of the letter and postcard are placed for everyone to see at Aliwal while residents, on request, have also been given a copy of the letter and postcard for their own rooms.