Couple prepare to celebrate 65 years of marriage
An Ilkeston couple are getting ready to celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary this month.
Peter and Mary Hopkinson were married at Cotmanhay Church on 24th January 1959.
They have two daughters: Joanne and Ruth, six grandchildren: Casey, Kia, Ellie, Hollie, Reid and Laney, and four great-grandchildren: Brooke, Jude, Quinn and Belle.
Peter played squash and football in his youth and was said to be a very good table tennis player. After attending Ilkeston Grammar School, he was in the RAF for three years in the late fifties and then spent the rest of his working life as a postman with the Royal Mail. He was also a member at Manor Squash Club, running the racquetball league there.
Mary went to Hallcroft Girls School, after which she started work at Booths factory in Ilkeston. Following a career break to raise her daughters, she returned to work at the offices at Winster Products and finally Domestic Industrial Pressings.
She spent many years working as a local councillor in the Ilkeston area and was elected Mayor of Erewash in the year 2017.
Granddaughter Kia told us, “She now enjoys being with family, spending time with friends and playing solitaire. She’s very sociable and you can often find her at the Spanish Bar on a Tuesday evening doing the quiz. She’s been through a lot during her life, even surviving being hit by a lorry when she was very small.
“She’s an inspiration to us all. She’s definitely the rock of our family. We love them both and all of us want to wish them a very happy wedding anniversary.”
Mary was a founding member of Ilkeston Lionesses Group and during her time as a councillor was a keen fundraiser for several charities including Ben’s Den, Sight Support Derbyshire and Alzheimer’s Research UK. Peter at 85 still plays golf.
