Residents Ken and Doris of Stadium Court care home, in Staffordshire, celebrated their anniversary this week in style.
Ken and Doris Bickley were married at Christ Church in Tunstall on Sunday 28th September 1952, following on from the usual Sunday service held in the church every week for the local parishioners who all helped them to celebrate their wedding day after which they spent a short honeymoon in Blackpool.
Doris recalls it was a lovely and very special day adding that she still loves Ken as much now as she did 68 years ago.
They met when Ken, who was working as a joiner at the Darlington joinery, went to fit windows in the house where Doris then lived with her Mother. He asked Doris to go out with him and she says she agreed because she did not go out very often! Their first date was at the Taj Mahal Restaurant in Hanley, now closed for the last 15 years. They remain together after 68 years of happy marriage.
They have one son, Geoffrey, married to Kay, with two grandchildren, Lisa and Roy, all of whom live locally in Tunstall. Further to this they also have two great grandsons, Jack and David.
Due to ill health Ken came to live in Stadium Court Care Home in 2015 with Doris a frequent and very loyal visitor until she joined him a year later in 2016. They now spend every day together and are very settled and happy.
Wellbeing Lead, Alison Davis and Colleagues Katy Jones and Mel Bould, set a table up especially for their celebratory anniversary lunch and decorated the room.
Doris didn’t have a photo of her wedding day so Alison had rung Ken’s sister Rita, who was a bridesmaid t their wedding. Rita sent a photo into the home which staff had framed for Doris and Ken, who loved it!
Babs, in the kitchen, made an amazing cake which they shared with the other residents for afternoon tea.
Doris said, “I would do it all over again.”
Home Manager, Helen Martin, commented, “What a lovely day for them both.”