Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Golden mile for marriage
Jean and Campbell honoured in their beloved Blackpool 50 years after first visiting the town as man and wife
A Coatbridge couple and their family were guests of honour at a civic reception in their favourite holiday resort to celebrate 50 years of marriage.
Golden greats Jean and Campbell Scott have been visiting Blackpool’s Golden Mile since their honeymoon 50 years ago – when they had to spend the first night sleeping in their car outside a locked hotel.
They have been regular visitors to the seaside town throughout their marriage, and were greeted by the area’s mayor on their latest visit to mark their special milestone.
Picture courtesy of the Blackpool Gazette.
Golden couple Jean and Campbell Scott had an extra- special celebration to mark their 50th wedding anniversary — by becoming guests of honour in their favourite holiday town.
The Townhead residents were treated to a civic reception by the mayor of Blackpool, where the lovebirds spent their honeymoon and have since visited several times every single year during their halfcentury of wedded bliss.
The couple’s introduction to the Lancashire resort back in 1967 wasn’t ideal, as Jean and Campbell had to spend their wedding night sleeping in the car after arriving from their celebrations to find their hotel closed for the evening.
However, it didn’t dent their love for the seaside town which has kept them coming back time after time over the decades — and they have since upgraded to their favourite beachfront hotel which Jean had aspired to visit since the holidays of her childhood.
Their special date at Blackpool’s town hall, with mayor Ian Coleman and deputies Gary and Debbie Coleman, came during a recent family holiday to mark their marriage milestone in which they were accompanied to their favourite destination by son Ronald, daughterin-law Tracy, granddaughters Cara Buchanan and Jennifer Scott, and Jennifer’s partner David O’Brien.
Ronald told the Advertiser: “I had the idea of seeing if perhaps we could get a card for them, so my daughter Jennifer emailed the council — we were then really surprised when the mayor’s secretary phoned and asked if we’d like to go for lunch to mark the occasion.
“We made a card saying they were going for a VIP lunch when we were in Blackpool. My mum thought it would be high tea and was amazed when we met up and walked round the corner to the town hall.
“Both my parents really enjoyed the day. They received a lovely card and there was a lovely afternoon tea of sandwiches and cakes provided for them.
“The mayor and deputies were really nice and asked lots of questions about Blackpool, how things have changed over time and what acts they’ve seen when they have visited over the years.
“My mum told them the story of how they’d had to sleep in the car on their wedding night — they’d left their wedding reception in Coatbridge to drive down for honeymoon, and by the time they got there at 1.30am, their hotel was closed for the night!”
Ronald added: “My mum used to visit Blackpool with her parents when she was a child and she’d stand on the beach and look up at the Cliffs Hotel — she always thought that she’d love to go and stay there one day.
“They’ve been staying there for the past 20 years and wouldn’t go anywhere else. The manager knows us as we go so often and they’d left prosecco in their room as a gift for their anniversary.
“My dad hadn’t been to Blackpool until he met my mum, but both of them just love it. There’s entertainment, food and shops — they just really love everything about it.
“They’ve been to other places like Newquay and Bournemouth and they’ve been abroad together a few times, but Blackpool is always their favourite. They used to go as often as six times a year. They still go up to three times and are actually going back again in six weeks’ time for their next visit.
“My dad was known as ‘ Mr Blackpool’ when he used to drive taxis in Coatbridge because he’d always talk about it and because of his love affair with the place!”
Jean, nee Stocks, and Campbell both grew up in Townhead — where they still live — and respectively attended Townhead and Gartsherrie primaries.
Campbell ran an ice-cream van in the area, which led him to meet future wife Jean as she was one of its customers.
The happy couple were married on September 8, 1967, at Gartsherrie Church — the building which is now New St Andrew’s Church. They have three children — Campbell, Ronald and Cheryl — and six grandchildren.
Jean, 67, worked in the civil service, while Campbell, 73, went on to work at the nearby container base in Gartsherrie for 30 years and also spent a decade as a taxi driver in Coatbridge.
They celebrated on the day of their golden wedding with an extended family dinner, before heading to Blackpool for their especially memorable five-day holiday in their favourite resort.
Granddaughter Jennifer told the Blackpool mayor’s office in her letter: “Blackpool is in their blood. It holds a very special place in their hearts and has many great memories for us all.”
She told the Advertiser: “We were all surprised and delighted to be invited to lunch with the mayor and deputy mayor and mayoress. It’s something we’ll all remember for a long time.”
We were surprised when the mayor invited all of us to lunch