‘Have patience and be kind’ – Thorrington residents share secret to a happy marriage

Love was well and truly in the air at a Thorrington care home when two residents celebrated a very special milestone. 

Margaret Sargeant, aged 81, and her husband Gerry, aged 90, toasted their 63^rd wedding anniversary at Care UK’s Silversprings on Tenpenny Hill, where they both live, on 28^th November.

The pair met when Margaret was just 18 years-old at a dance, at Trentham Gardens, in Staffordshire. As fate would have it, this was the first time Margaret had been to the dance and Gerry – who usually worked in the Arctic and Canada as a Radar Early Warning System Technician– happened to be on leave. 

Margaret said: “When I first saw Gerry I thought ‘oh, he’s handsome!’ I liked the look of him straight away, he was like Top Gun! I was so glad I went to the dance; it was meant to be.”

The pair wrote to each other for a year via air mail after first meeting, and on Gerry’s next leave he proposed. When he returned the next time, and when Margaret had turned 18, they were married in Northwood Church in Stoke on Trent.

Gerry said: “Neither myself nor my best man had ever been to Northwood Church before – we got lost on the way to the wedding and had to ring for directions. I’m glad I got there eventually though, because here we are 63 years later, happy as ever.

 

“I’d say the key to a happy, successful marriage is to be kind and have patience with one another – even if that is waiting for them to find your own wedding!”

To celebrate the special milestone, the team at Silversprings surprised the couple with a romantic meal, complete with prosecco and a specially made anniversary cake. Residents and team members joined together to raise a toast to the happy couple, while playing their first dance song, The Last Waltz by Englebert Humperdinck.

Joanne Rix, Home Manager at Silversprings, said: “Here at Silversprings, we know the importance of celebrating life’s milestones, big or small. This was a big day for Margaret and Gerry, and one we were honoured to be a part of. They are a wonderful couple, with lots of wisdom about building a strong and successful marriage that I think we could all learn from.

“The atmosphere in the home was wonderful and prompted residents to reminisce and share fond memories of their own weddings. It truly was a day to remember – happy anniversary Margaret and Gerry!”

Silversprings is a state-of-the-art care home which provides full-time residential, nursing, dementia and short-term respite care. The care home incorporates space for hobby and leisure activities and includes its own cinema, hair salon and café.

For more information on Silversprings, please call Customer Relations Manager, Lisa O’Sullivan, on 01206 809173, or email lisa.osullivan@careuk.com.

For more general information, please go to careuk.com/silversprings.