Heysham couple marks 60 years of marriage

Vera and Albert Coates married at Lancaster Register Office on July 27 1957.

The couple, who live in Heysham Road where they previously ran holiday flats, met at the Floral Hall in Morecambe and married when Vera was just 18 and Albert was 21.

“My grandmother said it would never last,” Vera, now 78, said. “Albert’s family made us wait until he was 21, so we got married the week after his 21st birthday.

“I think my family were glad to be rid of me though!

“Albert always wondered why my brothers all gave him a big hug when he told them we were getting married!”

Vera was born in Keighley but moved to Lancaster with her family at the age of 10, settling in Skerton, where she attended the former Skerton Girls’ School.

They then moved to Morecambe when Vera was 14.

Albert, who celebrated his 81st birthday on Friday, was born in Morecambe but grew up on the Newton estate in Lancaster, where his mum worked at the Judges’ Lodgings.

Vera and Albert moved into a flat in Sandylands after their wedding, and after leaving the army Albert worked much of his life as a plasterer, while Vera had several jobs before working with children with special needs at Heysham High School until she finally retired at 75.

The pair ran a hotel on Morecambe promenade for eight years as well as their holiday flats in Heysham Road.

“Everything we have done we have enjoyed,” Vera said.

The couple have three daughters – Debbie, 59, Elizabeth, 54, and Samantha, 51, as well as four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, the youngest just six months old.

The whole family will be celebrating the couple’s anniversary with a special meal at the Royal Hotel in Heysham.