Joan Prescott knew she'd met the man she was going to marry the moment he asked her to dance. More than seven decades later, the 90-year-old from Melling still describes her husband, Stewart, 93, as 'the perfect man' as the couple celebrate an incredible 70 years of marriage.
The pair tied the knot at St Thomas' Church in Melling on July 28, 1956, and have spent the past seven decades building a life together in the same village where their love story first began.
Love at first dance
Looking back on the moment they met, Joan recalled how a friend had unknowingly introduced her to the man she would spend the rest of her life with. She said: 'I was just 16. My friend and I had agreed to go on a double date. She said to me, "I'll get you a date with the lad who lives by me if you get me a date." So off we went out dancing, and I met Stewart. He asked me up to dance, and he was so nice. I thought, "Why should I give him up for another girl? I'm going to have him myself!" We've been together ever since.'
Joan added: 'I've only ever had one boyfriend, and that's Stewart. He's the perfect man.'
The couple first met at the former Kirkby Tenants Association social club on Station Road in Melling, where, as was customary at the time, Stewart, who was 19, asked Joan to dance before offering to walk her home. Joan said: 'It was always the men in those days. They'd get you up to dance, and then they'd say, "Can I take you home?" And it led from there. And it went on for 70 years. I just thought he was beautiful, fantastic and lovely. He suited me. My parents loved him.'
Building a life together
After completing his National Service, Stewart worked in the office at British Insulated Callender's Cables (BICC), while Joan worked in the factory making telephone cords. They dated for almost three years before deciding to marry. Joan recalled: 'He got down on one knee and asked me to marry him outside my house. I jumped up and kissed him, and I said, "Of course I will!"'
The couple married at St Thomas' Church before moving into the Melling home they still share today. Joan said: 'Everything went fantastic. We were so much in love. It never felt strange or anything. It was just lovely. We just felt that's the way we should be.'
Together they raised two children, Sonia, 66, and Gail, 63, while enjoying a life filled with dancing, holidays and travelling the world. Joan said: 'We went ballroom dancing and modern sequence dancing about six times a week. If it was raining, he'd say, "You stay there, love. I'll run and get the umbrella from the car and bring it back to you." All the girls used to say, "God, where did you get him from? He's marvellous." He'd hold your coat for you and help you put it on too but now I hold his coat for him to put on.'
The couple began their holidays camping before Stewart gave up smoking, so they could afford to buy a caravan. Joan said: 'When we started off we didn't have much money but when Stewart gave up smoking we bought a caravan but then it got stolen. So he said to me, "We won't bother with another one, let's just go for it and go abroad and fly here, there and everywhere." So we've been to China, Vietnam, and all around the world. We've done everything. We've thoroughly enjoyed it.'
A team for life
Now proud grandparents to James, 35, and great-grandparents to six-year-old Odin, Joan said their family has brought them immense happiness. Asked whether they'd faced many challenges during their marriage, Joan's answer was simple: 'Not on each other. All right, we might have said, "Oh no, I don't think that's right," but I wouldn't call that a challenge.'
Instead, she believes the secret to seven decades together has been working as a team. She said: 'He's a thorough gentleman, and I'm a worker. So we work together. When we first got married, I did everything in the house, and he did the garden. Things have turned around now because he's 93 and I'm 90, so now I do the gardening, and he'll do the dinner if I'm busy. I'll say, "What shall we have for tea tonight, love?", and he'll say, "Whatever you fancy, love. I'll go along with that."'
When asked what she loves most about Stewart after 70 years together, Joan added: 'Just the way he treats me. You couldn't get a better man than that.'
Although reaching such a remarkable anniversary has left the couple overwhelmed, Joan said their years together have flown by. She said: 'I can't get over it. I said to my daughters, I've never known anything like this. A birthday or anniversary that I've had years ago doesn't mean a thing. This is fantastic because everybody says not many people get to 70 years being married. I said to him last week, "Don't do anything dangerous. I want you to stay with me till next Tuesday." 70 years doesn't feel like a long time, really when you get the right one because life's wonderful every day.'
