CELEBRATIONS were in full swing at a care home in Coventry as a couple celebrated their 65 wedding anniversary.
Jill Watkins lives at MHA Abbey Park, where her and her husband Derek celebrated the blue sapphire anniversary.
The pair met when they were both 17 on new years day 1954 at a youth club in Methodist Central Hall in the city.
A few years after dating, they married on August 15, 1958 and went on to have one son called Nick.
Jill worked for the Coventry Trustee Savings Bank and Bill worked for an advertising agency, they lived together in Brays Lane.
When Jill was moved into the home Derek stayed on the lane, he visits his beloved wife every day.
Derek said: “To begin with we dated just a couple of times a week, but this soon became nearly every night as we both realised that something special was happening.
“It wasn’t long before I realised that Jill was the girl I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.
“In short I’d fallen head over heels in love with her. We grew closer together over the next four years and in 1958, when we were both 21, I asked Jill to marry me and to my joy she said ‘yes’.
“We were married a year later on 15 August 1959 at the Methodist Central Hall.
“On 2 July 1968 our son Nick was born, and our happiness was complete and over the years we had many good holidays both in this country and abroad.
“About six years ago I started to notice changes in Jill’s behaviour and personality.
“Between April and August 2022 she was in and out of hospital four times following various falls and seizures.
“I realised then that I could no longer cope with caring for Jill at home – after all we were both 85 years old by then.
“Jill was referred to Abbey Park and moved in on 6 September 2022.
“It took her a while to settle in but soon she became happy there and I know she’s safe and being extremely well cared for, which is a weight off my mind.
“I’m always made welcome and the carers, nurses and other staff members have become my friends. Jill likes to get involved as much as she can in the wide range of activities organised every week and particularly likes music therapy.
“It makes me feel as though I’m giving a small something back in thanks for the truly loving care that Jill receives at Abbey Park; I feel that in some small way I’m involved.”
