Calder Valley residents surprise little Peggy with lockdown birthday messages

When six-year-old Peggy Walker was faced with the prospect of not seeing her friends and family on her birthday, mum Emma Thompson took to a community Facebook page to make sure she felt special on her big day and banished the birthday blues.

Inspired by the rainbow poster trend, Emma, who works as a planning officer for Kirklees Council, asked her neighbours to make 'happy birthday Peggy' posters and hang them in their windows on her birthday on April 7.

"I was racking my brains to think what I could do to make her birthday special without breaking any of the lock down rules.

"Before this all kicked off Peggy we were planning on taking Peggy and a few friends to the cinema, then when things got more serious we thought we'd have a few people around to the house, then lock down happened and we didn't know what we could do to celebrate.

"Peggy was obviously rather disappointed about the situation, but was really grown up about it, she didn't have a breakdown and she understood the situation the best a nearly six-year-old could.

"Peggy saw a news story about a man who turned 100 and his neighbours came out to give him a clap. I thought I couldn't ask people to do that but I saw that people had been making rainbow posters and thought people could make birthday signs for her," said Emma.

Emma walked Peggy around the estate in during their daily hour of exercise and around 40 houses had hung birthday wishes posters in the window. Some neighbours even left presents including bars of chocolate and a bubble blowing kit.

"Peggy was just stunned and so touched by all the thoughtful signs. By the time we'd walked around the estate she'd been moved from shock to saying 'this is the best birthday ever'. I don't know what I'm going to do next year on her birthday!"