St Annes couple aged 85 and 82 marry after meeting on an internet dating site

The octogenarian couple have proved that meeting via the internet isn’t just the preserve of younger generations after their relationship which began on line seven years ago blossomed into their recent marriage.

Tricia, now 85, joined a dating website called Plenty Of Fish 14 months after losing her previous husband of 33 years and had met a handful of men through the site when she took a fancy to the profile of Ian, relayed from a similar site, which he jokes was called ‘Sad Old men Unlikely to Pull’.

She got in touch to say she thought he was interesting and would he perhaps like to meet but when her message came through, Ian was on Preston station setting off on a seven-day walking holiday so didn’t reply.

“At the end of the holiday, when I next checked my messages, Tricia had been in touch to say she couldn’t believe I hadn’t made contact,” said Ian. “I thought ‘this lady has something about her’, we arranged a meeting and we have been together ever since.”

Ian, now 82, is a retired optometrist who for years ran a chain of five branches in the Preston and Central Lancashire area. He worked until he was 79 and is a qualified pilot, having gained his licence at 59 years old after a lifelong interest in aircraft.

Tricia, who lived in Formby when the couple met and moved to their current home in Clifton Drive North, St Annes to be with Ian, is a former area manager for Avon Cosmetics and who also spent some time as a private detective.

"I’ve always been keen to make the most of the internet, for banking, booking events and everything it has to offer, so it seemed like the natural place to go to try and meeting someone,” said Tricia.

"I had been on my own for 14 months after losing my previous husband after 33 years and I felt ‘I don’t want to be alone’.

"Ian was similar after he was with his previous wife after 35 years.

"We were on different sites but the profiles were shared and I liked what I saw. We met at my golf club in Formby and we hit it off. We are so happy.”

The couple have been on holidays together all over the world since meeting and, seven years on, decided that the seafront Glendower Hotel was the ideal place to be married.

"We were just too busy with other things, such as travel, to arrange a wedding but felt it was about time and it was a wonderful day.”

Tricia was given away by her son Timothy and grandson Henry, with great grandsons Jenson, Hugo and Rocco as pageboys and great granddaughters Amber and Ava flower girls. Her daughter Fenella was maid of honour.

Among 150 guests at the wedding were members of the Blackpool Progress Round Table and Ladies’ Circle, with which Ian and Tricia respectively have long been involved and St Annes Bridge Club, of which Tricia is an an enthusiastic member.