Dawson Lodge couple reveal secret to having a successful relationship

An older couple living in Dawson Lodge who met as teenagers in a cycling club have offered advice to young Valentines about how to avoid bumps in the road to romance.

Colin and Christine Findlay, who have been married for 55 years, said the secret to their marriage was to always listen to each other and knowing how to make each other happy.
Great grandfather Colin, 78, who has lived at Anchor’s Dawson Lodge care home in Botley Road since May 2018, married Christine in Harrow, Middlesex, in 1965.
Christine, who met Colin at a cycling club when she was 14, said communication was key to a successful relationship.
She said: “Always be best friends as well as partners in life. It’s important to never give up on each other, sort out problems together and move on. Talking to each other a lot is very important. We just gelled and we both know how to make each other happy.
“Valentine’s Day is a chance to show you care for someone you love and we are still in love after 55 years of marriage.
“Colin is my best friend as well as my husband. He is very loving as a husband, father and grandfather.
“Our great granddaughter was born on 1st January this year – the first of a new generation of our family at the start of a new decade.”
Mitchelle Perry, Manager of Dawson Lodge, which is rated outstanding by regulator the Care Quality Commission, said: “Older people have a life time of experience when it comes to love so it’s great Colin and Christine can offer younger couples advice.”