Wednesday April 27, 2022
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Care home couple Jim and Nancy Cruickshank celebrated 70 years of marriage with a special tea party with family, friends and fellow residents.
Jim and Nancy celebrated with afternoon tea and cake for everyone at Balhousie Antiquary care home in Arbroath, where the couple shares a two-room suite.
Sharing their special day with them and their family were their best man Colin Cruickshank, Jim’s cousin, from Mintlaw, and bridesmaid Jess Cromar, Nancy’s sister, of Brechin.
The Queen, who has her own Platinum Jubilee celebrations this year, sent Jim and Nancy a signed card and message.
The Aberdeenshire-born couple were married on April 19, 1952 at the Douglas Hotel in Aberdeen. They went on to have five sons. Both grew up on farms and continued farming until 1988 when they ‘retired’ to a small croft in Little Brechin in 1988. Jim established a gardening business and helped at Forfar Market. In full retirement, they then moved to Brechin.
Jim, 93 and originally from Lonmay, and Nancy, 90, from Finzean, moved to Balhousie Antiquary in 2020. They have seven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
Their son Ken Cruickshank said: “Mum and dad have had a full and enjoyable married life and it’s lovely that they are able to continue that together at Balhousie Antiquary. It was very special to have their best man and bridesmaid there at the Platinum celebrations. It’s interesting to note that the combined age of the bridal party is an amazing 358 years!”
Cheryl Roy, Home Manager at Balhousie Antiquary, said: “Not many people are aware of the amount of couples we have at our Balhousie care homes. Jim and Nancy are a great example of residents who are able to continue enjoying married life together with shared activities, outings and visits. We wish them all the very best for their Platinum anniversary.”
For more information on Balhousie Care Group visit www.balhousiecare.co.uk
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For media enquiries please contact Gillian Drummond on gillian.drummond@balhousiecare.co.uk or call 01738 254254/07365 284994.
Photo captions:
Top L-R: Bridesmaid Jess Cromar; Nancy Cruickshank; Jim Cruickshank; Best Man Colin Cruickshank;
Clockwise below L-R: 1. Jim’s sister Thelma Watt; Daughter-in-law Linda Cruickshank; Nancy; Jim’s sister Cath Morrison; Jim; Son Ken Cruickshank; 2. Jim and Nancy; 3. An Antiquary staff member presents Jim and Nancy with their cake; 4. Jim and Nancy, Colin and Jess on the couple’s wedding day in 1952.
Notes to Editors
About Balhousie Care Group
Balhousie Care Group was formed 30 years ago to fill a gap in quality residential care in North East Scotland. Today, with 26 homes in the area, it is one of the leading providers of care for the elderly in Scotland, providing care to over 900 residents.
Balhousie Care prides itself on its person-centred approach to care. Putting people right at the forefront of everything they do; it’s inclusive of everyone. They capture this philosophy through the roll out of ‘Together We’re Great’, an initiative which recognises the skills, talents, attributes and support areas for each and every person involved in the organisation. Together We’re Great aims to value individuality and promote excellence across the organisation.
A Participation Charter – a first-of-its-kind in the care home sector – commits to residents getting a bigger say than ever in the care they receive, from writing care home policies to recruiting staff.
Balhousie Care Group is the recipient of numerous awards. These include three Scottish Care Awards, a 2021 Great British Care Award, 2022 s1Jobs Recruitment Award, 2019 Growth Business and 2018 Service Business of the Year at The Courier Business Awards, 2019 Growth Business of the Year Perthshire Chamber of Commerce STAR Award, and SME Scotland Business Man of the Year 2019 for Chairman Tony Banks.
