Barrie and Joy Atkinson, Barrow residents from 2002 to 2022, and now living in Quorn, celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary on 28th August this year.

As part of their celebration, they have enjoyed a 50-day cruise on the Queen Anne cruise ship going from Southampton to Sydney where their son Edward lives with his Australian wife Steph and their four children.

It was a particularly special trip as Joy had only recently been given the 'all clear' from pancreatic cancer that she had months of chemotherapy for as part of her treatment.

During their three weeks in Sydney, Edward and Steph hosted a wedding anniversary party with 50 friends and family. The star of the show however was Barrow's own Danielle Gudger, daughter of Sharon and Matt and sister to Zac. Danielle is a midwife living in Sydney. Edward had got to know Sharon Gudger, owner of Taylor's Florist in Barrow, and then Danielle, on one of his many phone calls ordering flowers for his mum for various birthdays. You may remember the article Lindsay Ord wrote for the Barrow Voice about Danielle’s experiences as a midwife in Australia: ‘A Bikini and a Santa Hat’ in the Winter 2021 issue.

Danielle sang three songs at the party, finishing with Moon River, which was Barrie and Joy's wedding song. Barrie and Joy danced their first dance alongside Danielle singing.

We hear Danielle did such an amazing job that Barrow Voice wonders if she will have a 'midwife' crisis choosing between following a career as a singer or a midwife! Well done Danielle and many congratulations Barrie and Joy.

Edward Atkinson