This issue’s featured family is about a couple who have lived in Barrow upon Soar longer than I have been alive.  I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to spend a couple of hours in the company of Val and Kevan Gillings, a lovely couple, full of love and zest for life.  I was interested in finding out what is their secret to such zest, and I was not disappointed.

Val moved to Barrow in 1968 and bought a brand-new house on the street where the couple still lives.  Kevan came to the village in 1980 and they married and raised their family here, only ever moving as far as a few doors up the street in all that time.  You may know her from the ‘Young Wives Club’, or as the years passed on, the ‘Wives Club’, enjoying a lunch in one of the pubs with her still-close friends.  You may have met her at Brownies during her years as Brown Owl.  There is an excellent chance you have seen her performing with the local Panto Group.  Val was a loyal member of the Panto Group for over 20 years, playing many parts in that time, including the ugly sister, twice, she says.  The community centre building of Humphrey Perkins School was home to many rehearsals, as well as performances.  Although no longer performing, Val is still involved with the steering group for both the Panto Group and the Youth Theatre.

She is also still involved with Barrow’s Twinning Association, as Vice Chair, and the group is planning their next trip for June.  I hear, from Val and Kevan, that French hospitality is quite the thing!

As if all these activities were not enough, Val also spent over 20 years writing for the Barrow Voice and she is currently running some of the activities at the Bishop Beveridge Club as well as singing with Barrow Ukulele Band.  

Kevan, a quiet and thoughtful man, sat listening to Val whilst we chatted away happily.  We did manage to find out about him, too.  Kevan started his working life as a mechanic in a small garage but later attained a degree in engineering, through his work.  He then spent many years working for the Ministry of Transport where he built a respectable career to complement his practical skills, until taking early retirement.

It was his hobby however, that impressed me most: he builds model aircrafts and boats.  Not small ones either, these aircrafts have 8-10 feet wingspans, that is over two metres!  These machines are not just for show either, they all have custom-built engines - which Kevan also builds - and he flies them with the Loughborough Model Flying Club.  A few years ago, Kevan, together with fellow-enthusiasts, founded the King Lear Model Boat Club, with secure sailing access to King Lear’s Lake at Watermead Country Park. 

Although the couple loved their travels over the years, visiting places of natural beauty, like the fjords of Norway or historical destinations like Petra in Jordan, or Pompei, or embracing freedom with their touring caravan, they always love coming home to Barrow, and even declined the chance to move to Cyprus when Kevan was offered a secondment opportunity.

So, getting back to the zest and love for life – Val and Kevan taught me about the importance of long-lasting friendships.  I learnt about getting to know the people around you, making friends wherever you go, and doing something that is bigger than day-to-day life.  I learnt about being humble, loving and appreciating the good things and the good people in life, because that is what will help you sail through the hard times.  

 Sarolta Batki