Bereaved man, 70, finds love again at support group

A bereaved 70-year-old man has found love again after "conquering loneliness" with the help of a friendly group of strangers

John Holland first went to Talkin' Tables loneliness support group back in 2023, three years after his wife had died.

When he arrived at the session at St Laurence's Church in Chorley, he said: "90 percent of the people there were women, and they all wanted to know my name; I was beaming".

That day the 70-year-old walked out with the phone number of his future wife Tina Astley, who said she had also been "in a dark place" before she started going to the group.

"I was scared and nervous when I first went to Talkin' Tables, but when a friendly smiley face like John comes to greet you it puts you at ease," Tina told BBC Radio Lancashire.

Talkin' Tables was set up in 2021in Lancashire with the sole goal of combatting isolation by bringing people together.

John returned to the meetings each day after his initial visit, and it was not long before romance began to blossom.

He said: "I rang her [Tina] up one night and we were on the phone for two hours. I couldn't see her on the phone but I loved listening to her.

"We talked about our backgrounds, and eventually started meeting at the local pub where we would spend hours just laughing our heads off."

John proposed to Tina, now 49, during a trip to Whitley Bay last year, before they married on her birthday on 5 June at Park Hall Hotel.

"We couldn't believe we were just so alike and loved each other so much. From the very first moment it has been phenomenal," John said.

Talkin' Tables founder Marjorie Hayward watched their romance unfold and said the pair had "conquered their loneliness together."

"Bringing people together is what we're about, because I know that when you do, they will do the rest themselves," Marjorie said.

"It's a confession to admit you're in a sad state and admit your loneliness, but Talkin' Tables was designed for this.

"I thought it would last six weeks and here we are four years later."

Talkin' Tables now has 100 tables around the UK meeting every week, and three in Cyprus.

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