Shared Lives love story featured in national magazine

And we’re not alone. After a feature in the Daily Express last summer, Carol and Ivor have made it to the cover of national magazine Take a Break – for their Valentines issue!

Carol and Ivor first knew each other as schoolmates, but lost touch for decades, until finding each other again in the midst of the pandemic.

When Ivor’s father passed away in 2019, he became part of Rachel and Fran’s Shared Lives household, supported by Shared Lives South West.

Almost as soon as he walked through the door, he recognised Carol in a photo on the wall and pointed her out, saying, “I know her, she’s called Carol.”

He was right too, because Carol is, in fact, Rachel’s sister!

Later, as the pandemic unfolded, Carol, who had been living independently in Bridgwater, came to stay with Rachel and Fran for additional support – and this new closeness allowed their old friendship to blossom into something deeper.

In 2023, Ivor popped the question and Carol said yes! The couple had a summer wedding, in the beautiful Somerset countryside, on the family farm where Carol and Rachel grew up.

As Rachel says in the story in Take a Break:

“Carol watched all her younger siblings marry over the years. Now at 72, she’s finally found her happy ever after.”