Christmas party leads to blind date with a difference

July 21, 2010

If you are searching for love, then look no further than your Christmas party – that's what two 90-year olds did – on a 'blind date' with a difference.

Proving that love can strike when you least expect it, Mildred Bamber and Les Tiley, who are both registered blind, met at a Christmas party in 2005, when neither of them was on the hunt for romance.

The Christmas party was organised by a social club they both attended in Hunstanton for visually impaired people and the couple got talking and 'just clicked.'

The great-grandparents, who live two doors down from each other in Sunnyside Close, a sheltered housing complex in Heacham, both celebrate their 90th birthdays next week. They both enjoy days out, going on short walks, chatting and 'a nice kiss and cuddle.'

Les 89, said, “I was a widower and have no relatives left living in this country. I was virtually on my own since I retired. I happened by chance to sit on the same table that night at the Christmas party and we hit it off and just chatted away.”

“It’s a beautiful situation, I never dreamed I could be so happy. The blind club brought us together. Obviously I don’t like being blind, but it’s made a wonderful thing happen,” he added.

Although they spend lots of time together, the couple have maintained their independence and have no plans to marry.