DIAMOND WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

On 2nd November 2007 Ken and Kathleen Ratcliffe of Evington celebrated 60 years of marriage. Celebrations were put on hold however, as Ken was in need of an operation to his hip. Thankfully this has been successful, and Ken hopes to be walking around Evington very soon.

Ken and Kathleen did not begin their courting until the end of the war, although they had known each other since meeting at St Barnabas Church when they were 14 and 13. Ken had just started work in the family business, which many of the older residents in Leicester will remember as Ratcliffe’s, the greengrocers. With the outbreak of war, Ken joined The Leicestershire Regiment. It was whilst serving in Egypt that one day he received a letter from Kathleen, who said she hadn’t realised he was going away, beginning a long correspondence through the war.

In 1945, Ken was home briefly on disembarkation leave and wrote to Kathleen asking her to go to the cinema with him. They both enjoyed the cinema and the theatre and during the early days of their marriage were frequent visitors to the Royal and Palace Theatres - buildings that have now been demolished.

After their wedding in 1947, Ken continued in the family business and Kathleen worked as a secretary at British Steel Supplies. Soon after, in 1951, their first daughter Gillian was born and Kathleen gave up her job and became a full-time mum. In 1955 they moved to Downing Drive and were among the first residents in the area. Jennifer was born there in 1956. Jennifer has Downs Syndrome, but in spite of this has led a very full life. Kathleen taught her to read and write. These skills have stood Jennifer in good stead and she still enjoys writing stories. For many years she lived at home but a few years ago she moved into a care home where she is very happy. Gill now lives near Norwich and has 2 boys who are in their 20s. They are all frequent visitors and these visits are thoroughly enjoyed, as it usually means lunch out.

Ken’s greengrocery business continued to grow and Ken at one time had 4 shops: Evington Rd., Uppingham Rd., Allandale Rd. and Narborough Rd. His hours were very long and at the age of 64, Ken finally went home one day and told Kathleen he was going to retire. He later decided to sell, seeing the end of four generations of Ratcliffe’s greengrocers in Leicester.

Ken has found plenty to do in his retirement, enjoying his immaculately kept garden, painting and keeping up with current affairs. His failing eyesight sadly, has restricted these activities, but he does however receive ‘The Mercury’ and the Evington Echo on a tape from Vista.

We wish Ken and Kathleen many more happy years together.

Anne Tester