A Friendship 50 Years in the Making: Old School Friends Reunite at Lindsey Lodge

This week, the Wellbeing Centre at Lindsey Lodge Hospice hosted a truly remarkable reunion, as two old friends met again for the first time in fifty years, all thanks to the supportive environment of our hospice services.

Janet Bell and Ann Harrison were firm friends growing up in Brigg, attending Glebe Road School together as young girls. Their families were connected even further by a shared history: Ann’s mother and Janet’s father had courted many years ago and remained close friends, cementing the bond between the two girls.

Janet (left) Ann (right) reunited in our Wellbeing Centre

The friends shared pivotal moments in their youth. They both attended a dance at the Corn Exchange in Barnetby where they would go on to meet their future husbands. Janet married first in 1958, and four years later, Ann paid the ultimate tribute to their friendship. When Ann married in 1962, she walked down the aisle in Janet’s wedding dress, having admired it so much all those years ago.

It was shortly after this joyous occasion that life took them in different directions. Ann moved away to Scunthorpe, while Janet remained in Barnetby, and the pair gradually lost touch, beginning a fifty-year separation.

The Chance Encounter

The long-awaited reunion finally happened last Thursday at the Hospice. Janet was attending her regular Wellbeing Centre Day, a popular service offering support, therapeutic activities, and social connection. Meanwhile, Ann was recuperating in our respite service.

As Ann came down into the Wellbeing Centre for the afternoon, the two women instantly recognised each other. The surprise and joy were palpable as they embraced.

“I knew it was her straight away,” Janet remarked with a smile. “She still had the same bonny face I remembered!”

Ann and Janet spent the afternoon catching up, laughter mixing with tears as they filled in the missing half-century of their lives. It was a beautiful reminder that our Hospice is a place for living, connection, and celebrating life’s extraordinary moments.

The pair are now hoping to stay firmly in touch, proving that while distance and time may separate us, true friendship can always find its way back home.