A BALLOCH couple who still light up with joy when they see one another recently celebrated an amazing 70 years of marriage with a party in their care home.

James and Elizabeth Kerr received a note of congratulations from Her Majesty the Queen as well as cards and presents from their family – but they were not allowed any visitors during the day because of the coronavirus lockdown.

The couple, who live in the Tower Unit at Hill View care home in Clydebank, were sadly unable to enjoy the festivities that their three children – Jim, Elizabeth and Rosemary, nine grandchildren and great-grandchildren – had been planning for them, due to the Covid-19 restrictions placed on visits to care homes.

However, Tower Unit staff helped James and Elizabeth, who go by the names Jimmy and Cissy, celebrate their platinum milestone following their marriage in 1950.

Their youngest daughter, Rosemary, said: “We were heartbroken that we couldn’t throw the party we’d planned, but the Tower Unit staff are wonderful – they made sure mum and dad had a happy day.

“The staff there just love them. One carer told me that when mum is in the dayroom and dad walks in to join her in the morning, her face lights up like she’s 21 again.

“It’s a deep-rooted, true love and the carer told me their devotion for each other makes her and the staff want to cry.”

Cissy, 92, fell ill in December 2019, and was taken to the Vale of Leven Hospital. A day later, 98-year-old Jimmy took ill and was moved into the ward alongside his wife so they could be cared for together.

After recovering, the couple – who are both living with dementia – moved into Advinia’s Hill View on December 30.

Kathleen Glasgow, home manager, said: “It was our privilege to help Jimmy and Cissy celebrate their anniversary, what an achievement.

“I know how much it meant to them and their family to mark the day, so we made a big fuss of them. When this is all over, we’ll help Rosemary and the family give them the party they’d been planning all along.

“Jimmy and Cissy are a shining example of how to have a long and happy marriage, and we’re delighted they’ve started a new chapter of their story with us at Hill View.”