A Warrington couple celebrated 50 years of marriage after being reunited following the easing of lockdown restrictions.
Frank Thompson visited his wife, Ivy, at Belong Warrington, the care village where she resides, exactly 50 years on from their wedding day in 1970, to celebrate their golden wedding anniversary together.
Due to lockdown, visits to the Loushers Lane dementia care village were temporarily placed on hold, helping to reduce the threat of coronavirus to Belong’s customers and colleagues. With regular testing of colleagues and residents in place, Belong Warrington currently has no cases of Covid-19, allowing outdoor visits to be permitted.
Happily, this meant that after four months of separation, Frank was able to make his first trip back to Belong Warrington in time to be reunited with Ivy for their 50th wedding anniversary. The happy couple were treated to a gold themed, socially distanced, outdoor celebration, featuring balloons, prosecco, and cake, where they looked back over half a century of fond memories. When asked about the secret to a long, happy marriage, Frank joked: “Always say yes to your wife!”, before adding: “Sharing decisions and compromise always helps, but the secret is really caring and loving one another.”
As teenagers, the Manchester locals were introduced by a mutual friend, for which they enjoyed a blind date at their local cinema. Whilst their relationship blossomed, Frank and Ivy courted for a number of years and it was following another date at the Belle Vue Zoological Gardens, the couple got engaged.
Frank explains: “We’d been out dancing at the famous Elizabethan Ballroom. I drove Ivy home and we sat in the car outside her house and I asked her to marry me. She said ‘yes’ straight away – it was the perfect day.” Four years later, the couple got married at Holy Trinity Platt Church, in Platt Fields, Manchester, surrounded by their family and friends.
After a honeymoon in St Ives, Cornwall, Mr and Mrs Thompson purchased their first house together, in Warrington. The couple have since built their life in the town until more recently, with Ivy moving into one of Belong Warrington’s ‘households’ to receive around-the-clock care and support.
Commenting on Frank and Ivy’s milestone celebration, Claire Bibby, general manager at Belong Warrington, said: “We were so pleased to be able to welcome Frank back to the village in time to celebrate his and Ivy’s golden wedding anniversary. It’s been a challenging few months for everyone and to be able to enjoy easing of lockdown restrictions with such a special occasion is particularly warming. Congratulations to Frank and Ivy.”
