CARING for one another has been key to 50 years of happy marriage for Roy and Gina Lodge.
They met when Roy was in his penultimate year as a medical student and Gina was working as a Bank Clerk at Lloyds Bank in Birmingham.
They were married at St Mary’s Church in Aldridge in Staffordshire and spent their honeymoon in Devon.
Shortly after marriage Roy was also Ordained in the Church of England.
They have lived in Stratford for the past 32 years during which time Roy worked in H.M Prison Service and his wife Gina as secretary of St Gregory’s school.
They have one son who is headteacher of an Academy in Hatfield and two grandchildren Nathan and Katie-Fleur.
Both have contributed enormously to the civic life of the town and Gina particularly to the church of Holy Trinity. Gina was former Chair of Governors of the Willows School and currently serves on the committees of the Stratford in Bloom, Mayors Fund and Friends of the Guild Chapel.
Roy’s political and civic life culminated in his year as Mayor of Stratford upon Avon in 2006/7. In this year he inaugurated the annual Shakespeare Schools lecture and is currently the marketing member of the Christmas Lights committee and member of the Stratford Business Forum. He was also president of Avon Probus Club 2007/8.
In 1997 Roy was awarded the MBE for services to H.M Prison Service and received the Stratford Pride award in 2013.
Roy is a former Great Britain international athlete , European bronze medallist, Olympic triallist in 1968. and supported by Gina has undertaken numerous sponsored cycle rides for various charities including the Shakespeare Hospice for which he has just raised over £1,000 cycling from Stratford to London.
They have many shared interest including music, reading, theatre, gardening, and coastal walking.
