Heartwarming 70th wedding anniversary recreated at Hampton House

70 years of love

Great-grandparents Jill and Eddie Dinshaw, residents at Hampton House in Solihull, were taken on a trip back in time to mark their 70th wedding anniversary, surrounded by friends and family.

Hampton House staff went to special effort to recreate as many of the elements of Jill and Eddie’s wedding as possible, who originally got hitched a stone’s throw away from the house, at Knowle Parish Church, on 17th September 1955.

Having met at a dance in Hall Green, where Eddie was a trumpet player in the band, the couple had their first date to see The Dambusters at Olton Cinema. The rest, as they say, is history, and Jill and Eddie tied the knot after Eddie had completed his national service in the Royal Engineers. The ceremony was followed by a reception – the very first event to be held at the newly-built Bentley Heath Community Hall – and a honeymoon in Snowdonia.

Jill went on to become a district nurse, while Eddie pursued a successful career in the British Motor Company, later founding his own printing business. Eddie kept up with his music throughout his life, later mastering the keyboard and playing at Solihull hospital and in local care homes. Jill and Eddie both completed many years of service as volunteers at the hospital, only stopping in 2020 when volunteering was halted due to the pandemic.