Care home residents who met at school celebrate 70th wedding anniversary

Two residents at a care home in Kent, who met aged 16, have celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary by sitting down to afternoon tea.

Ray and Josephine Beven who live at Sunrise at Frognal care home, met when they were just 16 years old, walking out of night school.

Ray Beven was walking out of his class when he heard someone slip on the stairs behind him. After helping Josephine up and offering to walk her to the pavement, they began to chat and found they lived near each other in Dartford.

The pair started to go on dates, spending lots of time together, often at the cinema and at the age of 17 went on their first holiday together in Cornwall.

After an enforced two year break while Ray did National Service, the couple married in 1951 at the age of 20 and 21.

Nicola Winter, activities co-ordinator at Sunrise of Frognal, said: “It was so lovely to see Ray and Josephine celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary. It was great to hear their stories and reminisce about the past.

“They shared a lovely one about their marriage with us that they used to always sing to each other a song by Maurice Chevalier and Hermione Gingold – I remember it well! It’s beautiful to see that the spark is still there 70 years on. Congratulations both, what an achievement!”

In 1954, the couple had saved up enough to buy their first home, for £2,500, a three-bedroomed detached house in Dartford. They lived in the same house until they moved to Sunrise of Frognal together on 29 January 2020.

The couple received a special congratulatory card from the Queen.

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