Love is on the air

SAYING “I do” again . . . civil partners Mary, left, and Judith

Mary and Judith join 99 other couples for Valentine’s Day radio ‘wedding’
A FAILSWORTH couple who became Greater Manchester’s first civil partners will be saying “I do” all over again — live on radio on Valentine’s Day.

Long-term partners Mary and Judith Tomlinson Harrison are one of 100 couples publicly renewing their vows in Manchester on Sunday.

The pair “wed” at Oldham register office on December 21, 2005, the day English law allowed the legally-binding union between same sex couples.

As part of BBC Radio Manchester’s Season of Love, they will join 99 other couples who are either married or in civil partnerships to renew their vows at the Armani Building in Spinningfields, near Deansgate.

Manchester registrar Stephen Poole will be in attendance and former “Coronation Street” actress Sally Lyndsey, who played Shelley Unwin in the soap, will host the event which will be broadcast live between noon and 1pm.

It was Judith who applied for the couple to take part in the renewal of vows, having just passed their 35th anniversary together and fourth year as civil partners.

She said: “We didn’t really celebrate our anniversary this year because we have two geriatric dogs on medication and didn’t want to leave them with anyone.

“Previously, we’ve celebrated the day with a Caribbean cruise and a hotel spa break.

“I suppose this was something special that we could do, a way of marking the day.

“The ceremony is an opportunity for people to tell their story.”

Judith (61) works part time as a social security worker, while Mary (66), a great-grandmother of one, grandmother of three, and who has a son and daughter from a previous marriage, works as a street-cleaner.

The pair will be forgoing budget-busting nuptial outfits and fancy wedding cars on the day as they plan to dress in casual attire, take the 82 bus from Failsworth to the city centre and enjoy a cold buffet with the other couples after the renewal.

Judith said: “Day to day life as civil partners is pretty much the same.

“We’ve been together for so long, we’re not exactly in the first flush of love.

“But it has brought an extra special bond and sealed our relationship.

“And it was important for us because of the legal status it brings and recognition that we are each other’s next of kin, which is particularly important as we are both pensioners.”