Scarbrough Court residents celebrate 70 years of wedded bliss

Above: (L) Residents John and Eileen Atkins celebrate their wedding anniversary at RMBI Care Co. Home Scarbrough Court, in Cramlington, Northumberland. (R) Residents John and Eileen Atkins on their wedding day in 1955 at Scarbrough Court in Northumberland.

A local couple have celebrated their 70^th wedding anniversary with the help of staff and fellow residents at Scarbrough Court, in Northumberland.

Care home residents John, and Eileen Atkins both 90 years old, were both born in the countryside of Northumberland. Eileen grew up in a little village called Scots Gap and John at Little Harle.

Eileen went on to train to be a nurse and worked in Newcastle. John left school and went to Greggs School of Commerce in Jesmond. They first met at the dances that were held around all the local village halls on a Friday night. It was destiny as they often met on the way back home on the bus that went from Haymarket, Newcastle into the villages of Northumberland and got together through bus journeys and the dances.

They got married at a church in the village of Cambo in 1955, surrounded by their family and friends, and had their reception in the local community hall. Eileen remembers what she wore on her wedding day. Along with her wedding dress, she wore a floral headdress, and carried a hand sheaf of red roses and pink carnations.

Residents John and Eileen Atkins on their wedding day in 1955.

John and Eileen loved to travel together, and have travelled extensively around the world. They used a touring caravan for a long time and in the later years, they enjoyed many cruises. They love to dance and have done this all throughout their lives, keeping it up at family gatherings and often outlasting the younger members of the family. They joined a number of tea dances, including one at the Irish Centre in Newcastle, and went every week up to the age of 89 years.

John and Eileen went on to have five children, and today, they have 13 grandchildren, and 14 great grandchildren.

When asked what they believe is the secret to a happy, long marriage, Eileen says:

It is love!

but John jokingly disagrees and says:

It’s about my wife being (thinking she is) the boss, and having the odd whisky and water.

They celebrated their special day at Scarbrough Court, where they have lived together since March 2025, with a wedding themed party. The entertainer sang their special song while the couple danced.

Activities Co-ordinator, Stacey commented: “It was a pleasure to host a celebratory party for John and Eileen to celebrate their 70 years of marriage. To stick together through thick and thin for so many years is an amazing feat. They’re an inspiration!”

[Summary: John and Eileen Atkins – a local couple have celebrated their 70^th wedding anniversary  at Scarbrough Court, in Northumberland.]