It's 50 golden years darling, so it has to be Blackpool...again
LOVING couple Raymond and Dorothy Bartley are spending their wedding anniversary in Blackpool this week – for the 50th year on the trot.
They enjoyed their honeymoon at the resort in 1964 and have returned to celebrate every year since on the town’s Golden Mile.
They are there right now, to mark their Golden Wedding.
Raymond, 75, a grandfather-of-four, said yesterday: “We’ve fallen in love with it and have never missed a single year.
“I can’t explain it. The town just has this pull which draws us in each year.
“In 50 years, Blackpool has changed tremendously and it always feels new to us.
“We’ve seen some great shows over the years and they are what make our trips to Blackpool stand out. We’ve seen Cilla Black, Ken Dodd, Vera Lynn, The Shadows and Cliff Richard.”
We’ve seen some great shows over the years and they are what make our trips to Blackpool stand out. We’ve seen Cilla Black, Ken Dodd, Vera Lynn, The Shadows and Cliff Richard
This year Raymond, a retired psychiatric nurse, and Dorothy, 71, who managed a dry cleaning company, will visit Cleveleys and Madame Tussauds, tour Blackpool FC and see the Tower Circus.
He said: “The circus is another thing that’s changed. When we first started coming they had animals.
“Of course that can’t happen now. But going to the circus and up the Blackpool Tower is our favourite thing to do.
“We also love to spend whole days walking along the promenade. It never grows old.”
Raymond, a county councillor from Denbigh, North Wales, insists that Blackpool is returning to its former glory.
He said: “A few years ago we felt like it started to go downhill a bit and shops started to close down.
“But all that’s changed now and it looks fantastic – it is really improving.
“The Winter Gardens look great and we really like the shopping centre.”
The Lancashire resort holds other treasured memories for the couple – of their children having fun.
Raymond said: “Our son and daughter used to come with us. Our son David, who is 49, took his first steps in Stanley Park. Now our grandchildren come.”
Although the couple’s actual anniversary is September 12, Raymond explained: “We always visit in the summer because they’re off school.”
This year the couple’s daughter Nia, 45, will join them from her North Wales home with her sons Matthew, 18, and Luke, 13. The couple are also grandparents to David’s children Jack, 21, and Millie, 17, who live in Birmingham.
Raymond added: “We’ve been very happy coming to Blackpool every year and we plan on doing it for as long as we can.”