Hi, my name is Lynne and I have been lucky to call Gran Alacant home for the last 6 years. People fascinate me and I love to hear about their adventures and life stories.
This month’s interview is with Cindy and Colin Bedford. They bought their property in GA off plan in 2001. In 2020, they officially became Spanish residents.
WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO GA?
Cindy “We came to Spain on an inspection holiday for 3 days. We were shown 2 locations each day and out of all they places they showed us we liked GA best. It appealed to us because it was so close to the airport, had a lovely beach and was a small town.
We bought off plan in 2001 and initially used it as a holiday home. We would visit every school holiday with our 2 sons Lee and Ross. When we retired, it became our main residence. Now our 3 grandchildren Alfie (19), Ross (18) and Amber (9) come to visit us during their holidays.”
WHAT WAS LIFE LIKE BEFORE GA?
Cindy “We lived in Greater London. I was a teacher and taught Maths and ICT, I worked as Vice Principal in a pastoral role which meant that I was in charge of behaviour, special needs and child protection. I loved working with children and trying to make a positive impact in their lives.”
DID YOU WORK WITH “CHALLENGING” CHILDREN?
Cindy “I did a lot of youth work in areas where Children had a lot of behavioural issues. A 14-year-old boy once slapped my face but other than that incident, I never felt uneasy working there. These young people tended to look after their own and I’d often have them say ‘Don’t worry miss, I’ll walk you down the road’ to make sure I got home safely.”
After her first teaching role in a tough South East London comprehensive school she moved to a less behavioural challenging school. She describes the experience as “Totally different. I actually preferred working with the children with the behavioural issues as I felt they were more genuine. What you saw is what you got”. This is the reason she took up the role as Vice Principal in her 3rd school.
COLIN, WHAT DID YOU DO?
“I left school at 16 and got an apprenticeship working in dental technology. I decided after a year that the long hours and poor pay were not for me. My uncle suggested working for Royal Mail and I worked my way through the ranks for 49 years until I retired. I worked as a Telegram Boy, Postman, Postman Driver, Postman Higher Grade, Floor Manager and in the Post Office Investigation Branch which has actually been in operation longer than the Police Force.“
ARE THERE ANY INVESTIGATIONS THAT STICK IN YOUR MIND?
“One case I worked on was based around the Kings Road area of London. There was a person riding a bicycle around stealing bundles of mail from Postmen’s trolleys. The operation was set up, with me being a lot fitter back then, the Senior Investigation officer got yours truly on a foldup bicycle. The suspect came out of the address and walked up to the Kings Road to the bus stop. The bus came along and the suspect boards the bus. I relayed the information over the radio to the team and the immortal words came back ‘follow that bus’. Usually the Kings Road is one large traffic jam but on that day the bus went away like Hamilton off the grid. I kept up for a while but the bus disappeared from view and unfortunately the case was never solved.”
HOW DID YOU MEET?
Cindy “We met in a pub. I had gone to invite my friend to my 18th Birthday Party and Colin was there. I ended up inviting Colin to my party too. We were engaged 3 weeks later! Colin was very respectful and asked my Mum’s permission first then told his own Mum and Dad. We have been married for 49 years and together for 51 years.”
WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST IMPRESSION OF EACH OTHER?
Cindy “I thought Colin was tiny and looked really young, turns out there’s only 3 months age gap between us.”
Colin “I remember thinking Cindy was really friendly and I liked that we got on so well.”
WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT EACH OTHER?
Colin “I love that we just get on.” After Colin goes off on a little tangent, Cindy presses him for an answer. Colin replies simply “I love you because you are YOU.Because you are always there for me”.
Cindy “I love Colin’s laid back attitude to life, even if I do have a go at him in the morning for being so slow”.
HOW DO YOU KEEP BUSY?
Cindy “We used to be heavily into golf for over 20 years. We were both Club Captains. Nowadays we are members of the Monte Mar Bowling Club.
We are always looking for new members both Bowling and Social so if you are interested please come along to a roll up session on a Tuesday, Thursday or Sunday at 10am”.
Colin “We enjoy travelling too. I fullfilled my childhood ambition to drive Route 66.”
BEST THING ABOUT LIVING IN GA?
Every day is a HOLIDAY!
Thank you Cindy & Colin
