Roy and Rotha celebrate their wedding at Abbeyfield Tavistock Society

After nearly 40 years together, Roy and Rotha Cole have tied the knot, celebrating their wedding with friends at Drake Lodge run by the Abbeyfield Tavistock society.

Roy, 83, and Rotha, 82, married at Exeter Register Office in late August before celebrating with a party at Drake Lodge, where they have both volunteered for many years.

The celebration was organised by residents, staff and fellow volunteers, with food prepared by the home's kitchen and a delicious, homemade Ukrainian honey cake made by Alina, the lodge's cleaner.

Guests raised a toast to the newlyweds and enjoyed a fun game of Mr and Mrs, with Roy and Rotha answering questions about each other. Former lodge trustee Graham Osborne also travelled from Surrey to join the celebrations.

House manager Salema Dennis shared “Roy and Rotha are a fantastic addition to life at Abbeyfield, with Roy wielding our hoover every week, and Rotha taking the breakfast trolley around to the rooms to have a chat with the residents and make sure they are okay. The couple also run our weekly Thursday coffee morning which runs from 10.30am-12.30pm and is open to our community for anyone that wants to join in.”

Roy and Rotha first met when they were both going through difficult divorces. They arranged to meet at the Bedford Hotel, although Rotha initially struggled to understand Roy's strong local accent!

Nearly four decades later, the couple have celebrated their marriage surrounded by people who know them well.

Rotha added “I’ve volunteered at Abbeyfield for nine years. I take the breakfast trolley round every morning and chat to the residents and at the same time I’m checking they’re ok in their rooms and if they need anything, apart from breakfast.

 “It was a lovely ceremony, very traditional, which I wasn’t expecting as it wasn’t a church. It will take some getting used to the feeling of being married. I do feel different, even after 37 years of living together. I was thrilled to bits to be proposed to by Roy and it felt the right time to do it. It’s going to take some time to get used to be called Mrs and a wife. But a nice thing to cope with!"

Congratulations to Roy and Rotha on their wedding. We wish them both every happiness for the future!