Simply a tale as old as time.....

Valentine’s Memories...

Once again we have teamed up with Helen McArdle Care to bring you your annual installment of some beautiful tales of love  as some of their clients reminisce with us... 

Ruth and Arthur Henderson

Ruth met her husband Arthur in 1952 at a dance in the Blackpool Tower ballroom. They both loved to dance and they courted for two years before they married on 25 September 1954. They married in St Andrew’s Church in Penrith, Cumbria, where Ruth lived. Ruth and Arthur had two children, Paul and Jane, and they all emigrated to Australia for four years before they came back to the U.K. They brought up their children in England and were happily married until Arthur died in 2005. Ruth speaks very highly of a loving life with Arthur.

Lisa and Egnar Sorensen
Lisa Sorensen met her husband Egnar, who was Danish, in North Shields when he was a fisherman; he lived in Denmark and came to the Tyne for work. They did live in Denmark for a while but settled in Cullercoats and had six children: Raymond, Robert, Peter, John, Ann and Janet. They had a very happy marriage until Egnar died in 1998. Lisa often talks about how she liked Denmark but work was scarce and prospects were poor and Egnar really enjoyed living in England.

Lydia and Roger Wilkinson

Childhood sweethearts Lydia and her husband Roger knew each other from birth; they lived in the same street and their mothers were friends. They did drift apart for a while but then got together and married in 1944 at St James’ Church in Gateshead. This was a wartime wedding and food rationing was in place so the neighbours and friends all got together and donated butter, sugar, dried fruit and eggs for their wedding cake. The local dressmaker made her a lace dress out of a spare piece that was in her workshop and it looked splendid. They had twin girls in 1950. Roger went into the army after the war, he had been in a reserved occupation in an Ordinance Factory during the war but had to join the army afterwards. He was in Germany and helped to build the Berlin Wall.

Anne and Alan Kirtley

Anne and Alan met in 1942 aged 14 years old. The lovely couple met at Shildon Hippodrome; Anne was with a group of girls and Alan with a group of boys, one of which was his twin brother. Alan’s twin brother was a bit of a ‘Jack the lad’ and tried his luck first, but Alan was the one for Anne. Alan was called up for the army and away for two years, during this time they agreed to go their separate ways but just two weeks after Alan was discharged they were back together and married in 1951. After the service the vicar said to Anne and Alan: “Never sleep on an argument.”

They have had their up and downs but are still together now and moved into Eden House together on 30 January 2014.

Anne and Alan

Mr and Mrs Foreman
Mrs Foreman met her husband when he was bed; he was ill in hospital and she was his nurse. They had lived close by for many years but it was only through caring for him in the ward that she truly got to know him, she said: “When I first met him I thought he was a highly intelligent man.”

Bob and Mabel Sanderson
Here are Bob and Mabel Sanderson of Park House, the picture was taken on their wedding day.

Secret Valentine’s Couple
 “We can remember our first date together, it was summer 1944. I was a country boy born and bred, loved walking. She was a town girl, loved going by car, bus or tram. I let her walk in her high heels from Riding Mill to Blanchland. That's twenty whole miles door to door. 70 years later she still reminds me of her bruised feet, but we're still walking side by side. “