Letter from The King makes it a birthday to remember for Anna

A member of Larne Adult Centre had a birthday to remember this month when she received a personal letter from Buckingham Palace.

Anna Cahoon celebrated her special day on November 12 and she decided to contact King Charles after learning that it was his birthday during November as well.

With help from her Support Worker Catherine Whiteford, she took the opportunity to tell His Majesty a little about her life in Larne and the activities she enjoys including drama and circle skills.

Explaining how the idea came about, Catherine said: “It was all down to Anna herself – she was so excited when she discovered the King’s birthday date wasn’t too far away from her own so she wanted to send a letter.

“We told him how it was her birthday in November and about how much she enjoys attending the Adult Centre with her friends and what she likes to do when she’s here.

“It was great to see Anna get so engaged in this and when we had the letter ready we took her down to the Post Office where the staff were so helpful because they could see how excited Anna was to be sending a letter to Buckingham Palace.

“We never expected to get a response so when an envelope arrived with the Royal crest on it and marked private and confidential we knew it could only mean one thing.”

The letter, which was sent on behalf of  The King by Thomas Claridge, Head of Royal Correspondence, is now Anna’s most prized possession. In it, the King said he was pleased to learn that it was also her birthday in November and how he hoped it would be a wonderful day of celebrations.

23rd November 2023