Couple who met at Derby grief support group get engaged

George Palmer and his fiancée Ruth Vowles met at Derby-based Treetops Hospice's Tears for Laughter bereavement group

A couple who met at a hospice grief support group after the death of their spouses are celebrating their engagement.

George Palmer, 86, and his fiancée, Ruth Vowles, 70, met at Derby-based Treetops Hospice's Tears for Laughter bereavement group.

The pair joined the group to help them cope with the deaths of their spouses.

They have decided to get married after their friendship blossomed into romance.

'So lucky'

Mrs Vowles, from Sandiacre, said "yes" when Mr Palmer proposed in the gardens of the Palazzo Pfanner in Lucca, Italy.

She said: "I feel so lucky to have met such a lovely, kind man who wants to make me happy.

"After two very traumatic years, we're looking forward to an exciting future together."

Mr Palmer, from Sawley, joined the group after his wife of 61 years, Liz, passed away.

He also lost his son David shortly afterwards.

He said joining the group was a revelation and he had never expected to find love again.

Mrs Vowles had been with husband Steve for 46 years.

He died at Royal Derby Hospital in 2020, having had two strokes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, among other long-term illnesses.

The couple's friendship started at the informal weekly sessions and they said they would look forward to meeting up every week.

They are set to get married at Gibraltar's Botanical Gardens in October.

Mrs Vowles said: "We started going out for lunch, but when I broke my leg I struggled to get to the group.

"George started to chauffeur me around and our friendship blossomed.

"Neither of us will forget Liz or Steve.

"But we hope that people realise that it is possible to love more than one person in this life and us getting married again doesn't detract from our previous, very happy marriages."