‘Love has no age limit’

Pauline Watts (North Walsham) testifies to being blessed finding love in later life.

I was born to Salvationist parents and was taken to Coltishall Corps when I was two weeks old. I married when I was 19 and my husband and I served faithfully at that corps until its closure.

We then moved to North Walsham Corps, where we found joy in service and fellowship. We were busy with corps life; I was the over-60 club secretary, parent-and-toddler group secretary, treasurer for the lunch club, a bandswoman and a songster. 

Even in my late eighties, I am still in the songsters and take an active part in the corps. My husband was also active in the corps and in the band before his promotion to Glory in 2015.

Jim moved with his wife to North Walsham from Southampton in 2019 to be nearer family. He became very active in the corps as the corps press secretary and a songster. He still provides relief today for selling the War Cry in the town marketplace. 

Unfortunately, his wife passed away in 2020. Jim and I had always shared faith together, but it was when corps leader Territorial Envoy Ruth Morey formed the Swat (Singles with a Testimony) group that we started talking more and realised we had a lot more in common than we perhaps realised.

One day Jim asked me out for lunch, but I never thought anything of it as we both thought we were far too old for anything to develop other than just friendship. Territorial Envoy Ruth would always say that, regardless of our past, we are all worthy of being loved no matter what age we are.

Although we were both very happy in our friendship groups within the corps, there were still days that we felt lonely. One day while chatting to Territorial Envoy Ruth about how God sometimes gives us the most unexpected gifts when we least expect it, we both realised that maybe this was God’s gift to each of us: being able to share life together.

Despite Jim being in hospital until just 17 hours before our wedding, we were able to finally say ‘I do’ on Saturday 11 January – Jim aged 93 and me aged 87. It is amazing how God works! 

We were married in full uniform by Territorial Envoy Ruth in front of our family, friends and corps family.

We thank God for the love from those who have supported us on our journey – it just goes to show love has no age limit. I have found someone to share the sunset with, and I am so blessed and happy.