Diamond wedding celebration for Heysham couple

Jimmy and Maris Walkden who have lived in a bungalow in Heysham for 24 years met in 1959 after Jimmy was demobbed from national service.

When Jimmy arrived back from Kenya, where he had been serving, he walked into his parents’ front room at Schola Green Lane (houses that his father helped to build and where he was born in the front bedroom in 1938) and there was a man sitting in an armchair.

He said: “Who are you? and the bloke said: “Who the hell are you. I live here!”

It turned out his parents had moved to Clarendon Road, a traditional seaside boarding house called Wycollar Dene, and hadn`t had chance to inform him before he disembarked.

Maris lived on Pedder Street at Barrow House Chip shop which her parents Harry and Daisy Levay, had purchased in 1946 just after the war.

She remembers the time they delivered 60 portions of fish and chips to the cast and staff of the Winter Gardens Theatre after their last performance of the evening at a grand cost of £3.16 shillings.

The couple’s first date was to the Plaza Cinema to see Cary Grant in Operation Petticoat.

They were married 12 months later at Sefton Road United Reformed Church on November 23 1960, Jimmy’s 22nd birthday.

Then in 1961 along came Dale, their first child. They lived at Wycollar Dene with Jimmy’s parents, George and Annie Walkden, to start off and then several stops. Hestham Avenue, Alexandra Road then back to Clarendon Road, this time a flat where their second and third sons were born, Track in 1962 and James 1964.

At this point an opportunity arose and in 1964 Jimmy and Maris bought their first family home, a three bedroom semi-detached at Sanders Grove where they spent 10 years bringing up their family.

Their fourth child, daughter Leigh was born in 1968.

Whilst they lived at Sanders Grove Jimmy had several jobs. Builder, gas engineer, coal man, road worker, he worked making the link road between Central Drive and Northumberland Street, stage 1 of the power station, heavy goods vehicle driver, a couple of stints for the council and at one point he worked for his brother, George, who had several shoe shops.

Even though Maris had four young children she still managed to work to make ends meet.

Her first job was at Standfast in the wages office on Caton Road beneath the clock tower.

Her second job was at Williamsons in their wages office.

She also worked at a shop on Euston Road opposite Barclays Bank called Redmans,

Throughout the 40s, 50s and 60s growing up in Morecambe Jimmy and Maris have always said and still maintain, that they had the best of it.

Morecambe was in its heyday, there were dance halls, six or seven cinemas, the old Super swimming stadium, the big fairground, ( Jimmy and his brothers all worked there at some point and used to paint the old Cyclone every year, the little fair ground, the old bowling alley, the sea front in general with its magnificent flower beds and gardens, Happy Mount Park in all its former glory, and who could forget Morecambe`s spectacular illuminations not to mention the Winter Gardens, with all the top shows and stars, the Floral Hall with its amazing dance floor, West End Pier, Central Pier with its shows, bars and skating.

Morecambe even used to have a big top circus that used to come most years and pitch up on some waste ground behind West End Road between Rabbit Hill, the little fairground and the train lines leading to the old promenade station.

They can talk endlessly of a Morecambe and a time that is slowly fading from living memory but of a town and a history of which they are fiercely proud.

Jimmy is, after all, a true Sandgrown’un and Maris, adopted in Nantwich Cheshire as a three-day-old baby, has lived in Morecambe since the age of three when she was brought here by her parents after the war.

In 1974 Jimmy and Maris decide to invest in a block of holiday flats on Clarendon Road.

They thought that someday the flats might come in handy.

They met some wonderful people through this move, in particular Val and Jacky Brown from Sunderland.

They came to stay with them in their first summer season and became lifelong friends, they still come to Morecambe every August for two weeks.

Jimmy secured a job working for a flooring company, which he took over at a later date to run with his son, Track ( a well known local fisherman. )

Maris worked for the G.P.O. as a telephonist.

They moved to Regent Park Grove in 1978. By this point they had waved Dale off to become a member of the Royal Airforce and later the Ministry of Defence.

Jimmy took a job at the power station and Maris was now working as a telephonist receptionist at North Lancs. Refrigeration on Thornton Road.

When 1983 arrived with its employment uncertainty Jimmy and Maris decided, once again looking to the future, to purchase a shop on Westminster Road.

They thought it would give a job to James and also employ Leigh when she left school a year or two later.

However, within the space of 18 months both Jimmy and Maris were made redundant and so took over the running of the shop.

It was during their tenure of the shop that they celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary.

A moment of bad luck struck the couple when an out of control car smashed through their shop window and demolished shelving, fixtures and fittings, counter, fridge’s and freezers and, in short, put them out of business.

It was almost 18 months, between court battles and conflicting insurance companies before their claim was settled. #

By this point all was lost and Jimmy and Maris had to sell up.

After nearly 30 years of marriage, having good jobs, working all their lives and bringing up a family they find themselves, through no fault of their own, in rented accommodation.

In 1994 an opportunity arose for them to move into their son’s home as he no longer needed it.

Two years later, in 1996, a lovely retirement bungalow was purchased for them to call home and now after 24 blissfully happy years in which they watched their four children`s lives develop, their five grandchildren grow into wonderful young people with their own families and, another layer of icing on their cake, for them to experience the joy of watching their five great-grandchildren entering the world, after 60 truly memorable and magical years, they are as happy as they have ever been and truly deserve to be.

Maris always insisted that the family really are blessed and lucky and that doesn`t stem from wealth or materialism but quite simply through love, health, happiness, and, above all, family.

The couple will celebrate and mark the occasion of their diamond wedding at a later date with family.