Chingford care home couple reveal their secret to a happy marriage this Valentine’s Day

 

Love was in the air at a Chingford care home when one couple shared their love story and secrets to a happy marriage as part of a Valentine's themed celebration. 

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, the team at Care UK’s Ivy Grove, on Hatch Lane, arranged a romantic meal for residents Joan and Ronald Fuller, aged 92 and 89, to reminisce over their 63 years of marriage. 

The special celebration included a three-course meal prepared by the home’s Head Chef, which took place in the home’s lounge, which had been transformed into a romantic setting and decorated with banners and balloons for the special occasion. The happy couple reminisced about their early days together and revealed their secret to a happy marriage.

When asked what advice they would give to young couples, the couple said their biggest secret to a successful marriage is: “To never go to sleep on an argument without saying sorry, always kiss and make up – and always respect each other.” They also expressed how important it was to “never keep any secrets from one another, good or bad!”

The couple met when Joan was working as a nurse at Whipps Cross Hospital and Ronald was under her care for an assessment. On the day of discharge, Ronald took the chance to ask Joan on a date and the rest was history. 

Their first date was a couple of days later, when they had a drive up to High Beach and went for a romantic walk through the forest, which is something they grew to love and did often. 

Just two years after their first date, the couple wed in 1961 at St George’s Street near the hospital, with two of Joan’s nurse colleagues as bridesmaids and her brother Paddy, who was a priest, officiating the ceremony. They later took a ferry to the Isle of White for their honeymoon. Together, the couple have five children, and four grandchildren, who often visit them at Ivy Grove. 

Jacob Mante, General Manager at Ivy Grove, said: “We were delighted to host a romantic afternoon this Valentine's Day for the wonderful couple Joan and Ronald, who we could all learn a lot from when it comes to a successful and happy relationship.

“Celebrating Valentine’s Day has allowed many of the residents here at Ivy Grove to share their advice and wisdom about relationships and marriage. It’s wonderful to hear everyone’s warm memories and celebrate all these wonderfully long and happy relationships.  

“We’d like to say thank you to Joan and Ronald for sharing their story with us—they truly are the perfect match!”

Designed to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives, while also promoting independence, Ivy Grove provides full-time residential and dementia care, as well as short-term respite care, and the home incorporates plenty of space for leisure activities and hobbies. The layout of the building has been configured to help facilitate the creation of close-knit communities and encourage social interaction among residents, and the home has its own café and hair and beauty salon.