A couple have clocked up more than 16,000 miles going on holiday to the same seaside town on their wedding anniversary for the past 55 YEARS.
Sue and Trevor Sherman have visited Weston-super-Mare, in Somerset, every year since they first went there on their honeymoon in 1970. The town is often slated as one of the UK’s ‘worst seaside towns’, but the couple don’t see it that way.
The pair have never missed their annual pilgrimage, despite the 288-mile round trip and a two-and-a-half-hour trek across the country from their home in Northamptonshire.
Last week, the lovebirds celebrated their emerald wedding anniversary in their favourite seaside spot and said they would keep going until they could no longer physically do so.
Sue and Trevor said they both love the coastal resort because despite being cold, it’s always sunny, and there’s “more to Weston than just donkeys.”
Sue, 73, of Winwick, Northants., a retired PR manager, said: “They said neither of us would make it because we were so young but here we are 55 years later. We have this celebration every year where we go back to Weston as it’s where we went on our honeymoon.
“I suppose for me the draw is because it’s a happy memory as a kid, back in the day we used to go down and spend all of our summer holidays there. It was a magical place with sea, sand and a traditional British seaside.
“The surrounding countryside is glorious. When Trev and I married, it was his first visit to the area. Even though it’s in March, we still go back. The sun is always shining. I still have family there and it’s lovely. Weston has a lot going for it, it has its challenges but they’re working hard and rejuvenating the old pier. There’s a nice feeling of hope in the place.
“When I was a kid, people used to go to Weston for their health, standing buried up to their knees in the sand. You could go and have a Weston mud bath. We just love it and every time we come back we feel rejuvenated.
“It’s cold but always sunny. The sunsets are incredible there, they’re stunning. I’m always banging on about Weston. There’s always something to do and, if not, walk along the prom and you’ll soon find somebody lovely to talk to.”
Sue, who was born in Weston, said she had many fond memories of the town, including seeing the Rolling Stones there as a teenager in 1964. Their wedding anniversary (14/3) is also Trevor’s birthday, so the couple double-up the celebrations.
Rounding off their three-day celebratory trip last week, the pair met relatives for a tea party while staying at The Royal Hotel, before heading to the Anchor Head pier.
Grandmother-of-two Sue added: “Seaside holidays have gone out of vogue a bit, but it’s still good. There’s more to Weston than the donkeys.
“We stay in a hotel or with family sometimes. We just stayed in the Royal Hotel last time, we’ve stayed in over several hotels over the years.
“Even during Covid we were there just before Covid was announced, we can honestly say we can with hands on our heart we’ve not missed a year. We go more than once a year sometimes.
“There is an allure to Weston. We were on holiday in Spain at an Elvis competition and the lad that won was from Weston-super-Mare. Imagine Weston having the best Elvis in the world.”
Trever, 75, a leadership coach, said: “Sometimes we’ll drop in when we’re going somewhere else. I’ve got a cousin in Cornwall and we just drop by.
“We know where all the good places are and we love it. It was my first time going there after we got married.
“I love the area, I love the piers. Sue’s got a real thing for Birnbeck Pier, which is being refurbished now, and that is an absolute joy for her that it’s getting refurbished.
“Anywhere from Uphill to Sand Bay, all of it, I love it all.”
On the secret to their long-lasting marriage, Sue added: “It is odd but I suppose it’s cliché really, but the secret is being kind, having a sense of humour and being content with what you have – but the gin helps too.