50 years of love and counting - Couple celebrate their Golden Wedding at Oaklands Nursing Home near Diss

A current resident of Oaklands Nursing Home in Scole, John Hill and his wife Ros, celebrated their Golden Wedding on the 24th of April with a weekend of festivities, including a private dining experience on the anniversary, with a Chinese takeaway. The team decorated the room and table with Chinese décor and personal touches. 

On the following day, Oaklands hosted a joyous party with friends and family, the activities team worked closely with family members to curate the room for the couple, with lovely handmade decorations made by daughter Lydia. A favourite band of John’s - The brilliant Sons Of Mark - played for the party and were enjoyed by all involved, including other residents and staff.

Ros and John met in 1973 at a dance at Debenham Community Centre. They spent the whole evening giving each other the eye before John plucked up enough courage to walk on over to her and state his infamous line, being “Do you mind if I stand here and chat you up?” 

They hit it off straight away and thereafter spent over half a century on their adventure together. Happy memories of their youth include spending most weekends at the beach and going out touring Norfolk with John’s band ‘Otter’ in which John played the bass guitar.

The pair spent a year working together for the Diss Express in 1976, where John worked In four colour printing, and Ros worked in advertising. Ros then left to have their first child, she later underwent a postgraduate degree in HR and continued working in HR and management. John continued to work for the Diss Express printers, until the early 2000s. John then worked as a prison custody officer until 2010, which he really enjoyed.

Together, Ros and John enjoyed going to airshows, going on lots of holidays (especially to Ireland), and having family gatherings. John is a keen photographer and musician, and Ros spends time running a local pop-up café, the Tivetshall Tea Junction. 

Both are family-driven and enjoy spending lots of time with the people they love. Ros has expressed that with John now at the home, she and the family feel they are able to continue spending time together as a family and that the home enable them to support him as they wish, as well as accommodating and supporting different events for them such as the anniversary party.

They welcomed their first child, Gareth, into the world in 1978, followed by their first daughter Abi in 1980, and lastly daughter Lydia in 1984.  They have 7 wonderful grandchildren, and one angel grandson who sadly passed in 2022. Since welcoming John into Oaklands Nursing Home, the family have become a central part of the Oaklands community.

When asked what the secret to a long and happy marriage is, Ros responded saying that no matter what they were going through, and to this day, they hold hands. The reasoning behind this evolving over the years, especially since John’s dementia diagnosis, as holding hands is often now used as a physical support, however this consistent gesture of support and love has remained with them always.

A quote that rings true for the couple reads: “Love isn’t measured by the thrill of the first kiss. It is measured by the hands that – tired, shaking, and worn thin – refuse to let go of yours.”