Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Stranded couple finally back in UK
AN elderly couple stranded in Spain during lockdown have finally arrived back in the UK – after four months and 11 cancelled flights.
William King, who has prostate cancer and half a lung removed, had been trying to get back to the UK with his wife Marion from their holiday home in Benalmadena since lockdown began.
The couple had been there since January and were first due to fly home in March when the pandemic hit. The situation was all the more worrying as William was on the verge of running out of prescription pills.
The couple made numerous attempts to get home, however their flights kept getting cancelled. They finally managed to fly back to the UK on July 31 with British Airways.
Marion, 76, said: “We’ve had 11 flights cancelled. We finally flew from Malaga into the City of London. The plane had two seats on each side. Everybody wore their mask. We felt quite safe.
“I was really worried about the flight not going ahead. I packed my suitcase and unpacked my suitcase and packed and unpacked. It was very stressful.”
The couple are now staying at their daughter Karen’s house in London, where they will quarantine for 14 days in line with government rules.
Marion added: “It was lovely to see her. We had been able to Facetime her but just to be able to see her, we thought this day would never come. It was quite emotional.
“All’s well that ends well. It’s such a relief. I really never thought it was going to happen. It has been a long, long process.”
Marion and William were forced to buy medication abroad.
She added: “We were able to get most of the medication we needed. It was expensive but we were able to get everything. The village all kept to the rules, everybody wore a mask all the time they were out.”
The couple will fly to Dundee at the end of the month and they have already booked William in for his check-up at Ninewells.