Why love is (literally) in the air for this NI couple

Robin Mercer was a young man of 19 when he first spotted pretty teenager, Edith Mitchell, in Milano’s nightclub in Bangor.

"In our day there was Milano’s and Caproni’s and those were the two places you went on a Saturday night,” says Belfast man Robin, 67.

Robin says the young Edith attracted his attention with her “long blonde hair”, whilst Edith, 65, says Robin was “tall and good-looking”.

The pair danced the night away, and the rest, as they say, is romantic history.

"We met on April 29, then three years later we got engaged on April 29, then two years later we got married on April 29,” says Robin.

"The next day is my birthday so I always remember it’s our anniversary.

"We were very young when we married, but in those days you married when you were young – that was the trend.”

The pair are now married 46 years and work alongside each other in their business, Hillmount Garden Centre, which was established by Robin’s grandparents, Hill Mercer and his wife Lily, during the dark days of the Second World War, when they wanted to offer people the opportunity to enjoy nature and grow plants at a time of great depression

Over the years the couple have successfully grown the business, so there are now garden lifestyle centres in Ards, Bangor, Belfast and Cheshire, England.

They have three sons, David, a pilot, Andrew, a dentist and Alan, who works in the family business.

Robin and Edith also have six grandchildren and another one due soon.

Edith, who grew up on a farm in Greyabbey, started off working for the Milk Marketing Board when she left school.

Then she began working in the nursery business at Hillmount alongside her husband.

"From that we opened up the cafe in the garden centre and then Edith took charge of that,” says Robin.

Being in a relationship that endures is something many people aspire to – the romantic ideal of having someone to accompany you through life’s many ups and downs.

But living together and working together is bound to bring occasional

irritations and frustrations, so what is their secret to a happy union and how do they manage to transition between ‘personal’ and ‘business’?

"In all the jobs, through all the years, from doing decorations at Balmoral Show or Christmas decorations, we work together on them. We work as a team,” says Robin.

"Being able to work together, and any problems you have sort them out and get on with it, that’s the main thing.”

If there is a disagreement, he says it’s sorted out “mutually”.

"If there is a problem for a day, the next day after that, we’ll give in.”

And Edith has the following lesson for love.

“Just look after each other and give in what you have to.”

And outside of work and family life, the pair enjoy travelling and also share a very unusual hobby, which has literally taken their relationship to new heights – hot air ballooning!

"When you get to middle age, that’s when you start to go a bit daft,” laughs Robin.

“About 25 years ago I got a flight in a hot air balloon and that was it, I was hooked.

"We found that it’s a lovely social thing to do and I have a pilot license for it.

"It has taken us all around the world. We’ve been to Dubai with it, we’ve been to India, the Philippines and every year we go to Italy – we drive out in the Jeep and trailer with our own hot air balloon.

"It’s definitely a totally unusual hobby to have.

"When I started I was the only pilot in Northern Ireland, but now there’s probably about 15 pilots.

"Edith does the driving and she has to come and pick me up.

"I fly and land the balloon somewhere and then she has to talk to the farmer and ask permission to get her husband and the balloon back from the field!.

"The Irish meet is on every year and we go down every year – we’ve been to Killarney, Kilkenny, Waterford – all parts of Ireland that you’d never actually drive to, but it means that you go there for a week and you see your own country.”

Last September they attended the 50th Annual Irish Hot Air Ballooning Championships at Birr Castle Demesne, Co Offaly, the longest running annual national ballooning event in the world.

Around 40 ballooning teams from Ireland, Europe, Chile and the USA took part in the championships, a private event for hobby balloonists from all over the world and an amazing spectator sport for the public.

"Hot air ballooning is such a lovely social activity, says Robin.

"It doesn’t matter how big your balloon is or how long you have been ballooning, we all just help each other out with it."

This globe-trotting couple were in Egypt last week and flew over the Valley of the Kings, which contains the ancient burial ground of many Egyptian pharaohs, in a hot air balloon.

"It’s just something we had to do,” laughs Robin.

It is said that sharing a hobby brings a multitude of benefits for couples.

Sharing a hobby or passion with a partner means spending more time together, which increases trust and intimacy. Pursuing a hobby together is more fun than doing it alone.

It has been shown that when you do something you enjoy, with someone you love, you are twice as happy. Shared pursuits also add a pinch of verve to the relationship, when the heady, magical early days of the relationship have long gone.

And, of course, there can’t be many hobbies that are as romantic as hot air ballooning!

But when it comes to big gestures on Valentine’s Day, the Mercers tend to forgo Valentine’s Day celebrations.

"We celebrate birthdays and anniversaries,” says Edith.

"We like good holidays. If you go out on Valentine’s night for a meal, you feel it’s a waste. We prefer to go out the week before or after. We do enjoy going out once a week or once a fortnight for a nice meal.”

And with their golden wedding anniversary on the horizon, have the couple any plans on how they would like to mark the auspicious occasion?

“We haven’t started planning yet,” says Robin, “but a big family get-together will be on the cards”.

And Edith is wondering how Robin will top the treat she got for her last big birthday.

“I always had three ambitions in life and two of them have disappeared –I wanted to go on Concorde and I wanted to have one of the De Lorean cars – and I didn’t get either of those two.

“But for my birthday we went to a place called Jade Mountain in St Lucia – one of the best hotels in the world. You can’t get much better than that!”

Research shows there are very tangible benefits to being in a successful long-term relationship.

Couples who stay together are healthier, wealthier, happier and live longer than their solo peers.

For Robin the best thing about being married is the companionship.

"You have your ups and your downs, but you have to work things out and it’s lovely to have family and grandkids. When our children were young we were so busy with the business, but now we have more time to spend with the grandchildren and you enjoy their company.”

For Edith the best thing about being married is growing older with the tall, handsome beau, she met all those years ago.

“We know each other inside out,” she says.

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Read more:

https://www.newsletter.co.uk/lifestyle/food-and-drink/8-gift-ideas-to-warm-their-heart-this-valentines-day-4020686​

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