Wedding bells to ring for couple who met at Helen Ley Centre

Multiple sclerosis patients Jo Griffin and Gary Smith, who met at the respite care home three years ago, recently became engaged.

The couple, who both live near Birmingham, are regular guests at the centre, which they say they owe their relationship to. The site is in danger of being closed next year, following a decision by the MS Society to end residential respite care services.

Miss Griffin, 45, said: “We don’t know why it clicked for us. Gary is into rock music and I used to be a ‘mod’. Mods and rockers - they never mix. Our group of friends would have never crossed paths.

“It’s purely Helen Ley that got us together.”

While both she and Mr Smith, 51, both depend on family and carers to manage, Miss Griffin said they tend not to talk about the condition.

She said: “As far as we are concerned, we are not disabled. We are differently abled.

“We will try to do things and it may not work, but we do try.”

She added: “Helen Ley has always been a very open and friendly place. If it closes it will destroy many friendships that have been made. There are some people I would probably never see again.”