Couple married for five decades tearfully reunited after two-year care home separation

A distraught OAP forced to make a 260-mile round trip to see her suffering husband in his has finally been reunited with him.

Fenella Clapham, 72, spent two years making the journey for Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, to Haslemere, Surrey, to see her husband Brian, 76.

The couple were inseparable and had been married for 50 years before Brian was moved 130 miles away because there were no care places available near their home.

However the loving couple have now been reunited as Brian, who has vascular dementia, has moved into a care home in Colchester - just 15 miles away.

Mrs Clapham, who has and uses a mobility scooter, said: “We are so happy that Brian has come home. When I heard the news, I called him and said ‘You’re coming home next week’ and he said ‘No, you’re joking’.

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“I said ‘Brian, honestly you are’ and he got emotional. I can go and see him as much as I want to now and it means his children and grandchildren have come and visited him. We are just so grateful that he has come home to us. It was awful with him being away.”

Fenella said it felt like Essex County Council were making ‘excuses’ as to why a suitable care placement couldn’t be found for Brian. The council previously said it would be ‘inappropriate’ to comment on individual cases but they had remained in contact with the family.

Brian moved into Tall Trees care home in Colchester, Essex on October 28. The great-grandfather-of-seven originally fell ill with a suspected chest infection in December 2020 but an X-ray revealed he was actually suffering from bowel cancer.

It was the first time the former gas layer and Fenella, who have been together since they were 16, were apart. He was initially discharged back to his home in Clacton but was readmitted to hospital and, due to his then diagnosed dementia care needs, moved to St Magnus Hospital in June 2022.

Fenella had to rely on her daughter and granddaughter, who both work shifts, to drive her to St Magnus’ Hospital in Haslemere - a 130 mile trip each way. She cannot drive and relies on her mobility scooter and public transport.

Fenella, who worked for mental health services, also claimed she went weeks at a time without receiving updates on her husband’s situation from the social work team.

She said Brian had tearfully broken down and said: “When am I coming home? I think it’ll be when I’m dead”.