Two hospital volunteers who spend their time supporting patients at Bradford Royal Infirmary are celebrating their golden wedding anniversary.
Lillian Deakin, 71, and Wayne Deakin, 76, from Keighley, marked 50 years of marriage on 18 September and say the secret to their long and happy relationship is simple: faith, love and laughter.
The couple, who have been together for 55 years, both volunteer with the Spiritual, Pastoral and Religious Care (SPaRC) team at Bradford Royal Infirmary, where they provide companionship and support to patients and NHS staff every Monday.
Wayne, who has volunteered at the Trust since 2019, supports patients on Ward 4 and Ward 31, while Lillian, a former nurse who joined the volunteer team after retiring from her role on the main reception desk at St Luke’s Hospital, volunteers on Wards 1 and 22.
The couple first met through Lillian’s local Baptist church as teenagers and say it was “love at first sight”.
Recalling their first meeting, Wayne said:
I walked into a youth meeting at the Baptist church and Lillian was the first person I sat eyes on and I’d never seen a more beautiful woman in my life. My legs were shaking. I went home and prayed that we’d meet again.
Two weeks later I went to a Baptist young people’s camp in Scarborough and, again, she was the first person I saw as she actually opened the door to me. I was delighted. During the week-long camp we ended up in the same team and then we were even paired together. We went for a walk to the seafront and bumped into two girls who said to us: ‘are you husband and wife?’ Well that was it and we’ve been together ever since.
The pair were married on 18 September 1976 at the United Reformed Congregation, in Keighley and have lived in the area ever since, eventually settling in Ingrow.
Asked what the secret is to reaching half a century of marriage, Wayne remarked:
Christ is important in our lives, but we’re also as daft as brushes and enjoy a good laugh.
We love doing things together and don’t like being away from each other. We celebrated our anniversary with a meal at the Airedale Heifer which was simply lovely.
While Lillian, who was a nurse mainly at St Luke’s Hospital for 11 years before arthritis stopped her nursing and she then went to work as a receptionist on the Horton Wing’s main desk, added:
The recipe to a long and happy marriage is also love.
Their shared commitment to helping others extends well beyond the hospital. Over the years, they have travelled to Zimbabwe eight times undertaking church and community work, building lasting friendships along the way.
Explaining why they enjoy volunteering at the Bradford Royal Infirmary so much, Wayne said:
I enjoy talking to patients and staff. It’s so worthwhile.
Lillian continued:
There are so many links and connections when you talk to people. It’s so lovely.
When we meet patients from Zimbabwe, it’s a really big connection for us because we’ve been there on church work eight times.
We have no children ourselves, so the people we meet in Zimbabwe have adopted us as their mums and dads.
The couple, who were both born at St John’s Hospital in Keighley, say they plan to continue volunteering for as long as they can because they love making a difference to patients’ lives.
