A Wembley great-grandmother has said her "heart is full" after receiving 262 cards on her 101th birthday.

Cards adorned the room at Middlesex Manor Bupa Care Home on Maria Stevenson's birthday on March 18.

Brent & Kilburn Times: Middlesex Manor staff present Maria Stevenson with a cake on her 101st birthdayMiddlesex Manor staff present Maria Stevenson with a cake on her 101st birthday (Image: Middlesex Manor Bupa Care Home)

Carers at the Harrow Road care home, reached out to the local community hoping to present their "wonderful" resident with 101 cards for 101 years.

The Brent & Kilburn Times stepped in to help staff make Maria's day extra special and the community did not disappoint.

Maria received a staggering 262 birthday cards and enjoyed reading each and every thoughtful message, they said.

Staff at Middlesex Manor decorated the lounge with an abundance of cards and threw a party in honour of the birthday girl and provided a cake for her fellow residents to enjoy.

She also received a surprise indoor visit from her son, Bill.

Brent & Kilburn Times: Maria Stevenson with her son BillMaria Stevenson with her son Bill (Image: Middlesex Manor Bupa Care Home)

Maria said: “My heart is very full, thank you!”

The great-grandmother, who has three children, seven grandchildren and two great grandchildren, grew up and lived in Valencia in Spain for 20 years.

She moved to England in 1954, where she met William Stevenson, to whom she was married for 44 years.

She moved to the Manor last year, and according to staff is "quite the character and social butterfly" and enjoys regular video calls with her family to catch up on the family news.

Ahead of her birthday she told this paper: “Reaching 101 is certainly very special and I look forward to spending the day with my friends and carers at the home.”

Brent & Kilburn Times: Maria Stevenson with her son BillMaria Stevenson with her son Bill (Image: Middlesex Manor Bupa Care Home)

Middlesex Manor manager, Gretchen Olaguer Wheeler, said: “We’re completely blown away by how many cards Maria has been sent.

"The look on Maria’s face when she saw the number of birthday cards she received was priceless, it was pure happiness.

"She is a wonderful lady so the team and I at Middlesex Manor are so thrilled that she has been made such a fuss of.

"We can’t thank the community enough for making Maria’s 101st birthday so special, the spirt that everyone has shown is overwhelming and means the world to us and Maria.”