The Haven sees resident Veteran reunited with oldest friend!

Haven resident Bill Lockwood reunited with old friend after decades apart! 

In March 2021 our amazing Haven Care Home resident Bill Lockwood told carers and his loved ones how he would really love to reunite with his old friend and former comrade Bill Gale. It had been years since he'd seen Bill in person, and everyone could see how important this was to him. 

Bill's wonderful daughter Charlotte took to social media to try and locate her father's old friend and namesake. Luckily Charlotte's post was seen by none other than Mr Gale's daughter Jane - the two of them were then able to begin planning the long-awaited reunion. 

Bill planned to attend the Boston Rowing Marathon in 2021, and hoped to be able to meet up with his long-lost friend at the place which meant so much to the both of them in the past. 

Within a week of finding each other they had penned letters and picked up where they left off, sharing stories of the many expereinces they'd had throughout the years and reminiscing about the old days. In April they shared their first video call - the first of many! 

After months counting down the days to see each other, they were reunited at Boston Rowing Club on September 19th. Due to the Covid19 pandemic the marathon event unfortunately had to be cancelled, but these two old friends weren't going to let that stand in their way. 

They met as planned and marked this truly special reunion with a toast, and were even treated to an amazing recital of a poem written about them. The poem is the amazing creation of Bill Lockwood's son-in-law Dave. Boston Rowing Club also presented the pair with an engraved whiskey tumbler and pen to mark this special day. 

It was an amazing experience for both Bill's and it's been wonderful to see their friendship blossom as time has gone on, and they're looking forward to the next time they can see each other face-to-face.  

Staff within the home have enjoyed hearing the legendary stories of the Two Bill's who have become local celebrities within the home, after the team made an amazing display so Bill can relive this special experience every single day. 

It's our honour to be able to play a part in giving our residents experiences like this. We wanted to thank the team for going above and beyond to make sure Bill's staying in touch with his old friend.