Special treatment for anniversary couple
AN ELDERLY couple forced to spend their 55th wedding anniversary in hospital were treated to a surprise celebration by staff.
Mattie Clarke was admitted to Wishaw General Hospital after falling ill at home and then her husband Douglas was also taken in.
Mattie and Douglas, who are both in their 80s, were being treated a couple of wards apart.
When staff at the hospital discovered the couple were celebrating their wedding anniversary, they organised a surprise to cheer them up.
Love blossomed when Mattie and Douglas were volunteering as Sunday school teachers in London.
Douglas, who was born in Wales and worked as an accounts manager with BP, recalls: “I conducted the singing and Mattie played the organ.”
Mattie, who was a secretary when she met Douglas, is originally from Baillieston and they married in her home town in September 1962.
The couple, who live in a retirement community near Lesmahagow and have one daughter and a grandson, were presented with a bouquet of flowers and a card from the staff.
Douglas, 83, said: “It was a lovely surprise and the kindness of those who arranged it reflected the marvellous care we’ve had at the hospital.
“We were only a couple of wards apart and we were able to drop in on each other every day to catch up.”
Mattie expressed her delight at the anniversary tribute, joking that the secret to a long and happy marriage is “to know who the boss is”.
Karen Napier, an occupational therapist at the hospital, said: “When Douglas mentioned it was their 55th anniversary we wanted to do something to mark the event.”