Rocky boat leads to seventy four years of marriage

IT WAS not the most romantic of meetings '“ she was feeling sea sick and he offered his hat for her to use as a sick bowl '“ but that nautical meeting in 1932, on the high seas just off the shores of Brighton, was nonetheless to be the start of a relationship that, for Sid and Ivy Blake, was to culminate in a 74th wedding anniversary celebration last Friday.

Ironically, even though they lived quite near each other '“ Ivy lived in Lewis, and Sid lived in nearby Telscombe - had never met until that special day on the outing to Brighton, where they had both planned to enjoy the short sight-seeing boat trip.

Ivy had been chaperoned by her mum and was feeling unwell, Sid's kindness when he went to her aid was one of the things that first attracted her to him and went towards making theirs such a long and happy marriage.

Ivy said: "We always shared everything and we've always been there for each other."

They married three years later on 20th February 1935, and set up home in a cottage at Norlington, near Ringmer, which daughter Jean said really only had the bare necessities.

She said: "The cottage mum and dad lived in had no running water, just a well in the garden. There was no electricity and the loo was at the bottom of the garden."

Sid, who is due to celebrate his one hundredth birthday in March, worked as a farm worker with shire horses up to his retirement thirty two years ago when they moved to Ninfield, where they proudly profess to being the oldest couple living in the village.

Sid and Ivy's long and happy marriage produced five children, twelve grand-children and twenty great grand-children, and with the help of dedicated family and carers, they have managed to stay living in their own home.

Jean said: "Up to last December, when dad fell and broke his arm, mum and dad lived at home. Since then dad has been cared for at Ancaster court and thanks to the wonderful care he is receiving he is back on the road to recovery and hopefully will soon be back at home with mum."

Ancaster court was the setting for their anniversary party, with family and friends joining Sid and Ivy for the celebrations and, even after an incredible seventy four years of marriage, Ivy said they were both "still in love."