A Dundee couple who were engaged on Valentine’s Day 61 years ago celebrated the occasion at a pop-up restaurant in the Balhousie St Ronans care home.
Love was in the air when resident John Laird was joined by his wife, Margaret, at the special romantic evening staged for them by staff at the newly-built care home on Dalkeith Road.
They were treated to a candlelit dinner of ‘hearty’ soup, Cupid’s casserole and a sweetheart treat, as they celebrated their many years of married life together.
John and Margaret, who are both 82, were joined in the temporary restaurant by fellow resident Sandy Webster and his wife, Evelyn.
John and Margaret have one daughter, Margaret, who lives abroad, and three grown grandchildren who live in London.
They were engaged on February 14 1952, and married on January 2 1954 in Gilfillan Church, Whitehall Crescent, Dundee. After the dinner, all the residents were entertained by singer Eddie Cairney.
Mrs Laird said: “It was extremely nice of the staff at St Ronans to have taken the trouble to do this for us. They go beyond the call of duty in so many ways. They are always doing little extras that mean so much to the residents and their families.”
John, a former site agent with building firm Crudens, moved into St Ronans when it opened last year.
Care home manager Karen Millington said: “We wanted to give the residents a special way to enjoy Valentine’s Day this year and we decided to turn the home into a romantic restaurant for the evening.
“I think it’s wonderful that John and Margaret will be toasting 60 years since their engagement and we hope to give them an evening to remember.”