A couple once dubbed the Posh and Becks of Stenhousemuir Health Centre are now celebrating another milestone, retiring together from the NHS with a combined service of 97 years between them!
Chiropodist and podiatrist Peter Hawthorn met his future wife Isobel in the l970s and, according to Isobel, took six years to ask her out on a date! They were married on June 22nd 1983, a Wednesday afternoon, when all the staff from the health centre gathered outside the church to wish the happy pair well.
In 2009, when the original Health Centre was demolished as part of a redevelopment plan, the couple were presented with two bricks to commemorate the building they met in and which they still have to this day!
Isobel, a former receptionist at Stenhousemuir Health Centre, says she recalls starting work using an old manual typewriter. Peter eventually left Forth Valley to relocate to NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to work in Mental Health Services.
The couple chose the same retirement date and Isobel says they are looking forward to spending even more time together getting stuck into gardening. Hopefully she says, they can celebrate in style when current Covid-19 restrictions are relaxed.
