They may be 81 years young, but retirees Dan and Margaret have proven it’s never too late to find love after getting together at Churchill Retirement Living’s Apsley Lodge in Waterlooville. The couple have enjoyed something of a whirlwind romance since moving into separate apartments there last year, and now they’re engaged to be married in early spring. They’ll celebrate their engagement with a special party at the lodge this Valentine’s Day, which also happens to be Margaret’s birthday.
“We just found we have so much in common,” explains Dan. “The more we got to know each other, the more we discovered that we’ve shared similar experiences in life. We both share the same interests and both of us like to keep ourselves fit and active. We just enjoy each other’s company and find it so easy to get on together.”
Margaret adds: “Dan is a very keen gardener and has an allotment nearby, I started helping him out with that and our relationship grew from there. We enjoy days out together and spending time with all the other friends we’ve made since moving here. We both have a very positive attitude to life, we like to get on with things and enjoy it. So when it came to getting married we just thought, you never know what’s around the corner, so why wait?”
Dan popped the question at Christmas time, and was quick to put a sparkling engagement ring on Margaret’s finger. He jokes, “I’m afraid I didn’t get down on one knee, as I wasn’t sure I’d get up again!”
The happy couple had each moved to Apsley Lodge to enjoy the convenience of a modern, stylish apartment and the social aspects of retirement living. They regularly join in with the afternoon teas and other social events that take place in the Owners’ Lounge. Both had previously been widowed, and both have children living nearby who they say are happy they’ve found each other at this point in their lives.
So was it love at first sight? “Not quite,” says Dan. “But I did notice Margaret when she first came to view her apartment, and we had a chance encounter in the Owners’ Lounge. I’d already moved in at that point, and I’m very glad I didn’t put her off from moving here too!”
Now the date is set, the local church is booked, and they are looking forward to a honeymoon in the West Country and a trip to Dan’s childhood home in Ireland later in the year. It’s a happy time for this fun-loving couple, and guarantees that there will be love in the air at Apsley Lodge this Valentine’s Day.