Our care home has been helping to keep the love alive for a married couple who celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary with a special lunch arranged by our dedicated team.

Mr and Mrs Bridges, aka David, 89 and Helena, 86, were treated to homemade cake and lunch with their family here at Barrowhill Hall care home in Rocester, where they’ve lived for the past two years.

Our 74-bedroom residential and nursing home, which specialises in caring for those living with dementia and memory loss, has kept the couple close together, despite their different care needs, so their love story can continue.

They were joined on their special day by their daughter Kara Stride and their grandsons Luke, 24, and Sam 21. The occasion was even marked by a personalised congratulatory card from King Charles III and Queen Camilla.

“It was so lovely to celebrate all together,” Kara said. “We were looking through their wedding photos with them, and we’d put a framed photograph of them on their wedding day on the table. On my wedding day I remember Mum giving me her best advice and saying how they’ve always been a team and supported each other.”

“It means so much to me that Mum and Dad can be together at the same home and that they are so well cared for. It’s so reassuring. The team really helps them both to retain as much independence as possible, supporting them to live fulfilled lives.”

Kara was delighted when she came across Barrowhill Hall. She had struggled to find a suitable home for her parents and was desperate to find one which would accommodate them both, allowing them to stay together.

“We’d been looking for five months and after two failed placements we were so happy to find somewhere as lovely as Barrowhill Hall,” she explained. “The home was able to accommodate them both together and the team were able to care for their very different dementia needs.

“They settled in straight away as the home really understand dementia and they got to know them as individuals – right from the beginning. They actually moved in on the week of their 58th wedding anniversary and the home gave them an anniversary cake and card, it was so unexpected and so lovely.”

Helena and David met at a dance in Derby in the early 60s. Helena had moved over from Connemara on the west coast of Ireland to work as a nurse and David, who had grown up on Oak Street in Burton-on-Trent, was working as a joiner. The pair got married in 1965 at the Catholic Church on Guild Street in Burton and had a shared passion for cooking and enjoying meals out. They went back to Ireland to visit family members lots of times and enjoyed family holidays with their Kara in Skegness, Wales and Devon.

“David and Helena are a lovely couple,” said Kerry Butts, our home’s activities lead. “We love having them both in our home. David now lives in the main house so he is closer to the nurses but we make sure they have the opportunity to spend time together, even if that’s simply sitting together in our lounge or enjoying a cup of tea. Their eyes light up when they see each other and it’s a comfort to them to have each other nearby.”

We pride ourselves on supporting our residents’ friends, families and loved ones and our team strives to create meaningful moments that they can cherish.

“Everyone really goes out of their way to make us feel involved, included and welcome whenever we visit,” said Kara. “They really support us as a family and there’s always a great atmosphere.

“I appreciate that the team encourages the relatives to connect, through organised meals and events, because then you can speak to people you know when you visit the home and you know you are not alone in the experience.”

Our home manager, Dania Meadows, said, “The team work tirelessly to keep our residents healthy and happy and their loved ones become part of our extended family.

“We feel very privileged to have been able to arrange this special occasion for David and Helena and their family. 60 years together is an incredible achievement and it means everything to us that we have been able to keep them together.”