Bromley couple celebrate 60 years at Nettlestead

A married couple who live together at Nettlestead Retirement Home, Bromley, will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary on Thursday, June 4th.

Jim Williams, 90, and his wife Irene, 84, married in the same year Cary Grant, Clarke Gable and Angela Lansbury tied the knot with their spouses. By celebrating their diamond anniversary this year, they join a select group - only one in 10 married couples reach the diamond landmark.

Jim and Irene have been living at Nettlestead since last year, and tomorrow they will celebrate with a party at the beautifully renovated Victorian property.

The couple met through Jim’s cousin and put the success of their marriage down to “good old fashioned give and take”.

“I knew Irene was a nice person from the start, particularly because she was so close to my family,” says Jim, a former bank clerk. “We always got along very well together.”

Mr and Mrs Williams enjoyed many foreign holidays together over the years – Mrs Williams particularly enjoyed visiting Holland, Austria and Hungary. They also did voluntary work for Bromley Multiple Sclerosis Society for many years.

Sarah Bruce, owner of the family-run Nightingales Retirement Care, which runs Nettlestead, says it is an honour to have such a loving couple among the residents.

“We are so pleased for Jim and Irene that they have reached this landmark,” says Bruce. “It is a pleasure to have them staying with us and we wish them a long and happy future.”

Nightingales Retirement Care Ltd runs two retirement homes in elegantly refurbished Victorian properties – Priors Mead in Reigate and Nettlestead, Bromley. Nightingales offers a wide selection of delicious, home-cooked meals accompanied by house wines in a boutique hotel atmosphere. The homes are designed specifically to cater to clients’ needs in a subtle way, allowing them to really relax and enjoy their stay.

Find out more by logging on to nightingales.co.uk.