Every Valentine’s Day, as displays of roses, cards and bottles of fizz fill the supermarket shelves, there is no shortage of expert advice about how to keep a relationship thriving. But perhaps this year we should look to Dennis and Ann Hume, a couple from Essex who today mark not just another 14 February, but their 70th Valentine’s Day together.
Over the course of their long and happy marriage, Valentine’s Day itself has been far from leisurely. Alongside raising their two children, Adrian and Judith, the couple spent six decades working side by side running a bakery in Essex.“It’s a busy time of year for a baker,” says Ann, reflecting on the years when 14 February meant countless heart-shaped confections and early starts. Yet Dennis, now 88, would never let the day pass unmarked. “I have always made sure to take Ann out for a special meal – making her feel special has always been important to me.”
One favourite haunt was a local restaurant called Fernando’s, close enough to the bakery and their home to keep things practical when children were small and babysitters on duty. “We became such frequent customers that we ended up knowing around 80 per cent of the other regulars,” Dennis recalls.For Ann, 87, the romance was simpler: “For me, simply being together meant more than any cards or chocolate.”
The couple first met in 1955, while working in a bakery in Frinton-on-Sea. Dennis, newly arrived as an apprentice from the Cambridge bakery school where he was studying, recalls being impressed by Ann’s talents for making chocolate Easter eggs. Ann, meanwhile, is still amused by her first impression of Dennis: “I didn’t realise he was at bakery school, so I remember wondering how he knew what he was doing,” she says. “I don’t mind admitting that it wasn’t love at first sight, but our love really bloomed after Dennis finished his course.”
It was Ann who made the first move, inviting him to her 21st birthday party. But Dennis took things a step further, asking her to dinner. Soon after, a friend invited them to a dancing evening on Clacton Pier. “It was there that our romance truly sparked,” Dennis says.
The couple on their wedding day, which took place in a church where Dennis had played the organ growing upThe pair married at St Mary’s Church in Bures on the Suffolk-Essex border, where Dennis had played the organ and sung in the choir from childhood.
“It was our shared passion for baking that first brought us together, but our relationship became so much more than that,” Ann reflects. “We shared interests in dancing and socialising – it was the whole package.”
Dennis, an only child, found warmth in Ann’s sprawling family. “Ann was one of 13 children, and I was an only child,” he says. “She was used to socialising in a big family, and it was so welcoming for me to become part of that.”
In 1960, Dennis and his parents opened Hume’s Bakery on Halstead High Street; Ann joined the business two years later. Together they built it into a beloved local institution, eventually celebrating its 50th anniversary with the accolade of Essex Baker of the Year.
Ann and Dennis marking the Silver Jubilee in 1977 with one of their bakeRunning a business together while raising a young family could put a strain on even the strongest relationship. But the Humes credit working side by side as central to their longevity – “like we were one team out in the world together”.
As for juggling work with parenting, the fact they lived and worked in the same place helped. “Having the business on the same premises as our home meant I could put the children to bed then go back downstairs to make Easter eggs in the evening,” Ann says. “It felt like the perfect recipe for running a successful work and home life together, allowing us to spend quality time with the children.”
Still, they are aware it could have been too much for some. “We consider ourselves extremely fortunate to have worked together and stood the test of time,” admits Ann. “The business being successful enabled us to do things outside of work and maintain the right work/life balance, as well as going on holiday. We were lucky to have excellent, loyal staff who could hold the fort.”
Ann and Dennis have shared passions, including bowls, baking and karaoke (Photo: Care UK’s Colne View)Beyond the shop counter, shared passions sustained them. They played bowls for many years, organised bingo nights and Dennis sang in choirs – a lifelong love that continues with The Hedingham Singers and Braintree Male Voice Choir. Ann often helped out with the performances, serving refreshments.
“Having these outside interests was so important to us,” says Ann. “It meant we weren’t always talking about work, and it strengthened us as a couple.”
Ask them the secret to seven decades together, though, and the answer is refreshingly simple. “We’ve learnt that communication is key to a successful marriage,” Dennis says. “We’ve always made time to talk to one another and consider each other’s feelings.”
“I’ll admit there were times when words were spoken under my breath,” Ann says, candidly, “but we’ve always maintained the patience to listen and understand each other.”
A little conflict, they agree, is inevitable. “Disagreements are always part of married life,” Dennis says, “but we’ve always avoided turning them into arguments. Instead, we’ve solved problems together by talking things through. At the end of the day, it’s about being on the same team.”
Their children, Adrian and Judith, now run the bakery, while the couple are happily living together in Care UK’s Colne View home, where they take part in regular activities including karaoke. Staff say the Humes’ love story brings a smile to everyone there – and that they are looking forward to sharing today’s celebrations with the couple.
And so, on their 70th Valentine’s Day, what advice would Ann and Dennis offer others? “Make sure you do something special – something you both enjoy, and something out of the ordinary,” says Dennis. “But it doesn’t have to be big. These days there can be pressure on young couples to make grand gestures for social media, but sometimes the small things make the biggest impact.”
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