A care home for the elderly in Haskovo's Kenana Park marked International Day of Older Persons on Thursday. Mayor Stanislav Dechev and his deputy, Dinko Tenev, attended the celebration, the municipality said.

Dechev went round the residents to greet them one by one, thanking them for their patience, wisdom and kindness. He also gave them an icon of the Mother of God for protection.

Relatives, home staff and people from other social services in the city joined the celebration too.

The home has been in its new building for a few months now. The municipality built it from scratch with money from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. It offers residents a place to live and social support, as well as medical and dental care, rehabilitation and therapy.

Dechev also sent a greeting to every pensioners' club in Haskovo, saying older people have given their hearts to their families, to raising their children, to their homes, and to making Haskovo and Bulgaria better.

He told them they can count on "our energy, support and respect."