A couple who are celebrating their golden wedding anniversary next week, are revisiting their honeymoon destination of Guernsey, courtesy of Condor Ferries.
Golden celebrations with Condor Ferries for anniversary couple
A couple who are celebrating their golden wedding anniversary next week, are revisiting their honeymoon destination of Guernsey, courtesy of Condor Ferries.
Anne and Colin Hickman, from Ashtead in Surrey, travelled with Condor on the fast ferry from Poole to Guernsey earlier this morning (Saturday 19 July), ready for their celebrations on the island where they first visited together 50 years ago.
Condor Ferries – which is also celebrating its 50th anniversary this year – helped the couple to begin their celebrations with an upgrade to Club Class.
Since their first visit to the island on honeymoon in 1964, Anne and Colin have returned year-after-year, never tiring of the lovely walks, beautiful scenery, sunny climate, charming tea rooms and gastronomic delights that they have discovered on their many visits.
This year, however, the couple will not be alone on their holiday – instead they will be joined by many members of their family, including three of their four children and several grandchildren, all helping to celebrate their golden wedding anniversary with a party at Albert Pier, overlooking St Peter Port, on Friday 25 July.
Anne and Colin met in 1962 in Hayling Island, where Colin worked as a sub-branch cashier for Lloyds Bank and Anne as a staff nurse at nearby Portsmouth hospital. They married at St Mary’s Church, Hayling Island in 1964.
When considering where to travel to for their honeymoon, Colin recalled a brief visit to Guernsey he had enjoyed with friends, shortly after completing his two years national service in the RAF in 1958. He had fond memories of the island, and thought that it would be the ideal location for a honeymoon with his new bride – they booked a week’s stay at the Manor Hotel in Petit Bot on Guernsey’s south coast.
During their honeymoon, they met a local man, Henri De La Mare, who kindly offered to show them around the island, and a lasting friendship began. Since then, Anne and Colin have spent many holidays on the island, often returning to visit Henri and his family.
The couple have used Condor’s fast ferry service to the Channel Islands for the last decade, as they like to take their car with them, enabling them to travel around the island and meet up with old friends.
Colin Hickman said: “We are especially looking forward to our visit to Guernsey this year, Anne and I were very lucky to have experienced such a warm welcome when we first visited Guernsey 50 years ago, we loved it so much that we can’t stop going back.
“Over the years, we have had lots of lovely holidays on the island, some just the two of us, and many more with our children, and more recently grandchildren too! We have always found the people of Guernsey to be so friendly and we are looking forward to visiting some of our favourite places and enjoying the cliff walks around Incart and St Martin next week.
“For the last ten years we have chosen to travel with Condor, it’s the best way to get to the island with the car, and it’s very convenient for us. We were very happy to find out that Condor was also celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and we feel privileged to be chosen as one of their golden couples!”
Justin Amey, Marketing Manager at Condor Ferries said: “We know that many of our guests return year after year to enjoy their summer holiday in the Channel Islands, as there is so much to offer, but we don’t know of many who have been coming back for 50 years.
“We are delighted that Anne and Colin will be helping us to mark our 50th anniversary, we hope that they have a lovely holiday and enjoy their celebrations with their family in Guernsey and look forward to seeing them back next year!”
Demand is high for Condor Ferries’ summer crossings. To find out more about the special offers available and to book tickets, please visit www.condorferries.com. Passengers booking online will also receive an additional £5 discount when booking a car return.
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Issued on behalf of Condor Ferries by McKenna Townsend
For further information please contact Mel Bradley or Caitlin Smith on 01425 472330 or email condor@mckennatownsend.com