John Fordrey with daughter, Jacqueline Crisp, wife, Rose Fordrey and son-in-law, Tony Crisp
On Saturday 1st June, Jacqueline Johnson married her partner of 11 years, Tony Crisp, at the Guildhall, Barnstaple, in a delightful ceremony attended by over 150 friends and family, but one very important guest was missing. The father of the bride, John Fordrey.
John, who is 81, was unfortunately unable to attend due to health issues, so the newlyweds decided to visit him where he lives, in Heanton Nursing Home, in Braunton, the next day in full matrimonial wear.
Jacqueline said “We decided if he couldn’t come to us, we’d bring the wedding to him and we dressed in all our wedding finery, and my mum, Rose, and Tony and I, visited Dad at the home. We brought in wedding cake and I was so happy that he got to see us all dressed up. He’s being cared for by the home since 2016 and he’s very happy there and they really look after his every need.”
The home was recently rated as outstanding by the Care Quality Commission, placing it in the top 2% of care homes in the country. John’s wife says the family were delighted with the quality of care her husband receives. “They really do help John live a comfortable and happy life. So much so, that at yesterday’s reception, Jaqueline and Tony decided to ask all their guests not to give the usual wedding presents, but to donate money to the home, instead. Jacqueline said, “We raised over £250 for Heanton Nursing Home and over £150 for the Devon Air Ambulance, where I work as a volunteer.”
Heanton Home Manager, Paula Mascall, said their donation was a very generous gift and they were all delighted that the visit was such a lovely surprise for John. As a wedding gift from us, we hired a photographer to cover the newlyweds’ visit, the results of which will be presented to the family as a beautifully framed memory”.
Care writer, Jerry Short.