Sam and Barbara Swallow had a sparkling celebration
Sam And Barbara Diamond Wedding
A special milestone for an East Yorkshire couple was cause for celebration. Sam – also known as Mike – Swallow, 83, a resident at Overton House, Cottingham, and his wife Barbara, 80, marked their diamond wedding anniversary.
The care home, in The Garth, pulled out the stops to ensure it was a sparkling day for the pair, who first met at a summer fair. The sweethearts – or lovebirds, given their surname – married at St Charles RC Church, in Jarrett Street, Hull, in 1965.
The Swallows have one daughter, two grandsons and two great-grandchildren. To mark their 60 years together, family, friends, residents and staff of Overton House gathered for an afternoon of Country and Western singers, a buffet and party celebrations.
A slightly overwhelmed Barbara said of their 60th anniversary: “I feel as if it’s my wedding day. I am so happy.”
She recalled the day of their wedding being sunny and windy. “The church was full,” she said.
“We had choir boys. It’s a really beautiful church.” The couple’s four bridesmaids wore blue and carried pink carnations.
“Somebody off the street came with an accordion,” she said. “There was dancing in the street. They could all hear it, it was really, really lovely.
One of Barbara’s secrets to staying happily wed for 60 years was: “Look your best for your husband coming home from his hard day’s work. And give him a smile.
“Life does throw things at you unexpectedly,” said Barbara, urging people not to give up at the first hurdle and adding: “If you’re meant to be together, you will be. Just keep going and as your family grows, it gets even better – I’d do it all again.”
Barbara said Sam had a number of jobs when she first knew him, including as a window cleaner and a bargeman, as well as a pipe-layer for the gas board and a bus conductor. “You name it, he did it,” she said.
“His main job in the end was at Croda Universal, down Clough Road, as manager of a plant. When he retired, he went to work for STAND [Hull’s fishing heritage charity] as a tour guide and he was so proud.”
Overton House gifted the couple with a framed, AI-enhanced image of their wedding day, after many of the family photos were lost. Debbie Lawton, front of house manager at Overton House, said: “Barbara only had one blurred image of them on their wedding day that a relative had managed to resurrect.
“It was the only photo she had of their wedding day. AI brought out all the details of her dress and Barbara said she had forgotten how beautiful it was.”
Debbie said Barbara approached the home, where Sam, who has advanced dementia, has lived since May 2023, to see if they would host the diamond wedding occasion. “We said absolutely we would.
“It was Country and Western themed – Country was big in the 60s when they got married and Sam has always liked Westerns – and there has been dancing this afternoon. A lot of friends and family have been here for it.
“We want to be able to give our residents these kind of experiences.”