Illness, fire and Covid cannot stop vows renewal

A married couple have finally managed to renew their vows at the fourth time of asking after their plans were previously scuppered by a life-threatening illness, Covid-19 and their venue being hit by fire.

Lisa and Kenny Macleod tied the knot in June 1991 and initially wanted to hold another ceremony to tie in with their silver anniversary in 2016.

After the series of setbacks, the pair, from Workington, Cumbria, said they had started to feel "someone somewhere was trying to tell us something".

Now, nearly 10 years on from their first attempt, the pair have fulfilled their dream after their three children and a friend organised a ceremony without telling them until shortly before the big day.

The Macleods, who married at a church in their then-hometown of Whitehaven, planned to renew their vows at the Grove Court Hotel in nearby Cleator, where they had held their reception.

However, that first booking had to be called off when Lisa was diagnosed with a lung condition requiring urgent surgery.

A rescheduled date for summer 2020 was abandoned when they opened their local newspaper and saw a blaze had caused extensive damage to the hotel, which later closed.

Pandemic restrictions brought in to tackle Covid-19 then put paid to a service marking their 30th anniversary in 2021, which was due to be held at a local register office.

"It was my idea initially," recalls Lisa, a retired office manager at the Sellafield nuclear plant.

"After being married for almost 25 years and having gone through fertility treatment to have the kids, I thought we need to celebrate that we're still here, going as strong as day one and enjoying life.

"We had everything booked, but I had something called a pulmonary AVM (arteriovenous malformation) and ended up going to hospital.

"We said 'this is just not the right time to do it'. I could've died.

"We then had it booked for 2020. It was the evening paper where we saw about the fire. I said, 'Kenny, you won't believe this!'

"We hoped we'd be third-time lucky, but then when it happened again we thought someone somewhere was trying to tell us something. The gods are conspiring against us."

The couple, who will shortly be moving back to Whitehaven, face further health challenges.

Ex-police sergeant Kenny, who had a stroke in 2017, was last year diagnosed with cognitive impairment, having struggled with memory and balance problems.

That led to their children and a family friend deciding to organise a renewal ceremony ,with the details kept under wraps until a few weeks before the service.

It was held at Moresby Hall, in the village of Lowca, on Valentine's Day.

"We didn't have a clue," Lisa says. "We're not too sure how Kenny's condition will progress, so they thought they'd get something organised sooner rather than later.

"We were given the diagnosis the same week as we found out we are going to become grandparents, so it was a very emotional week.

"The ceremony itself was wonderful. Absolutely perfect. I wouldn't have changed a thing.

"But right up until the day itself, we kept thinking 'what could go wrong?'"

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