Care home residents and staff celebrate love ahead of Valentine's Day
Staff and residents at Shropshire nursing homes are celebrating the most romantic time of the year with tales of lifetime love and workplace weddings.
Two residents at Morris Care's Corbrook Park nursing home near Market Drayton are still very much in love after 53 years of marriage. David and Irene Morris have lived at the home for four happy years. Irene has just celebrated her 101st birthday and David will be celebrating his 100th birthday in June.
In the same year that the couple moved into Corbrook, love was in the air for nurse Melinda Csibri and senior care assistant Florin Vovc-Tomiuc. It wasn’t exactly 'love at first sight', but they worked together, laughed a lot and a "vibe" developed. They married two years later and have lived happily ever after ever since.
Oldbury Grange resident Mary Layborne moved into the home in 2019 when her husband Eddie died. They had spent their life travelling the world with their four children, thanks to his job in the RAF. To this day, Mary keeps a photo of Eddie in her pocket so he is close to her heart and with her wherever she goes. Whenever she talks about him, a smile lights up Mary’s face.
“I’ve had a wonderful life and to have met and be married to such a gentleman was a blessing,” she said.
Vanessa Davies, head of operations, said: “While we are great believers in sharing the love all year round, it is always nice to dedicate another day to our loved ones or use it as an opportunity for our residents to reminisce.
"Listening to music and looking through photo albums can be one of the most stimulating reminiscence activities so we have lots of activities planned for residents on February 14."
