Birdwatching, quizzing and dancing keeps a 45-year marriage happy at a Cheltenham care home
A couple whose shared sense of humour evolved into a 45-year marriage are celebrating their first Valentine’s Day in a care home this weekend.
Happily married Prilly and Michael Sutcliffe are spending Valentine’s Day in Windsor Street Care Centre, after moving into the home run by The Orders of St John Care Trust (OSJCT) in September.
Prilly, aged 87, first met Michael when she attended a training course which he was running.
Michael, aged 82, said: “When I saw Prilly, I knew I just had to talk to her, and we just got on really well.”
The couple who both worked for many years at Cheltenham Hospital, Prilly as a Nurse and Michael as a Senior Administrator, found they shared the same type of humour. They said that respecting each other underpins the success of their relationship.
Due to health issues, the couple considered moving to a care home from their home in Carlton Road, Cheltenham, and stayed at Windsor Street Care Centre as a trial last summer, before deciding to move in.
Prilly said: “It’s bliss in many respects as I don’t have to worry about cooking and cleaning. After testing out the home we decided that we wanted to stay, and we still feel it was the best decision for us.”
The couple pursue their joint interest in birdwatching at the home and use binoculars to look out onto the view of Cleeve Hill from their bedroom. They are hoping to take a trip in the home’s minibus to Slimbridge Wetland Centre later in the year.
They enjoy the home’s weekly quizzes and musical bingo. Michael said: “It feels great to listen to music that makes this man want to dance again”.