Harrogate care home claims to be most romantic after 9 couples celebrate Valentine's Day together
Martin Fisher went to meet some of the loved up couples
A care home claims to be the most romantic in the country, after nine couples there celebrated Valentine's Day together - including two who just got engaged.
Residents Geoff Fawcett and Kathleen Wainwright of The Manor House in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, have only been together since last summer, but got engaged in November 2023.
They first met when residents were invited to a gala and party in celebration of the Coronation of King Charles and Camilla.
Geoff, now 90, had already expressed an interest in Kathleen, now 85, and said she looked like a real lady and had stolen his heart.
Staff say they have been inseparable since that day, with happy memories including Geoff introducing Kathleen to Chinese food, attending a classical music concert and discovering similar musical tastes, singing together in the care home’s choir, and outings to Harrogate’s pantomime.
Other couples at The Manor House - run by Anchor - have been together a lot longer.
Ken and Laura Richards, who are 89 and 87, have lived there since 2022, and have now been married for 62 years.
They first met at the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia after both had gone there to work. Laura had graduated from the University of Rome and gone to Slovenia to lecture in Italian.
Ken had graduated from Lincoln College at Oxford University and gone to Ljubljana to become the first English person to lecture in English since the war.
They were eventually married in Rome in 1962 in an abandoned chapel in the Borghese Gardens.
Another long-standing couple are George and Janet Robinson, now 85 and 81, who have been married for 59 years.
Since their children left home, they have made many memories travelling the world, visiting places like Russia, Thailand, Fiji, he United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Care home manager Stephanie Foulds said: “There are lifelong couples who enter our care home together and there are people who come in alone who form new friendships and relationships.
"With so many social activities and events taking place, romantic relationships can blossom and we support people to continue to enjoy their lives through the bonds they form.
"Love is where the heart is and our home is where the heart is.”
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know.