YSJ Love Stories 2025: 1960s to 2007

Every year we ask our alumni to share their YSJ Love Stories to celebrate Valentine’s Day. From meeting on their first day and blind dates, to romances spanning decades, we received so many this year we had to split the blog in two!

In part one, we share YSJ Love Stories from the 1960s to 2010.

A date to remember

Shared by Paul Bainbridge, an alum of St John’s College.

We met on 15 October 1966, in our first term. I know the date because earlier that day I had watched Hull City beat Wolves 3-1! We met that evening at a party in H Block and went for a walk and coffee in York the following day. The rest is history.

We got married in August 1969 and both taught in Willerby, just outside Hull. Paul, PE at Wolfreton School, a new comprehensive. Sally at the Willerby primary school across the playing field.In 1974, we moved to Andover in Hampshire to continue teaching. After 3 daughters, 5 grandchildren and 4 houses, 33 years later we retired back to Yorkshire. This time the north of the county at Bedale, less than an hour from York. August 2025 will be our 56th wedding anniversary, and still going strong!

A New Year’s Dance

Shared by Zanny (Susanne) nee Parkinson, an alumna of St John’s College

At the New Year’s Dance of 1968, I met Jim Frusher. He was studying Physics at York University. We got married two years later and were together throughout fifty wonderful years, until his death.

Canoe Club romance

Shared by Sarah Richardson, an alumna of the College of Ripon and York St John.

In 1988, I was a first year Occupational Therapy student and Mark (aka Pie / Pieman) was in his final year of a BA Hons. Although we had spotted each other around campus, we met properly at the canoe club. We have been together since and married in 1994.

“There’s a nice lass for you to marry…”

Shared by Frances Bowran (nee Young), an alumna of the College of Ripon and York St John

On the 24th September, 1989, as I was moving into my halls of residence (Harewood Hall) at Ripon & York, St John’s, Ripon campus, I passed another student (Neil Bowran), also moving into Harewood that day, with his mum. I smiled politely as I passed & apparently his mum commented, “There’s a nice lass for you to marry”!

We never spoke until he asked me out in 3rd year, I said yes & we then went on to graduate together, get married, have two beautiful daughters & recently, to have the pleasure of watching our eldest daughter go on to study Policing at YSJ, where she is now in her second year… and…meet her ‘special one’ as she met her girlfriend in her first year!!

A Limes romance

Shared by Sarah Newsham, an alum of the University College of Ripon and York St John

My husband was in his 4th year BEd and had returned to Halls for his last year and I was first year OT student. We were both living in The Limes. We got together November 1992 and married August 1995 when I’d qualified.

We often return to York – it’s our second home with many good memories. This year, we’ll be celebrating our 30 year wedding anniversary!

A course romance

Shared by Emily Ariss, alumna of the University College of Ripon and York St John

We met on the same teaching course in 1999 and started going out with each other in 2000. Married in 2005 so been together 25 years and married for 20 years this March. We have 2 children Jacob (17) and Grace (14).

We returned not too long ago for an open day for our son who is hoping to do photography. So you never know he may follow in our footsteps and find ‘the one’ at York St John!

Limes Court romance

Shared by Michelle Gemmel, an alumna of the University College of Ripon and York St John

We met in our first year, in the year 2000. We both lived at Limes Court and met through a mutual friend. Got together in 2nd year and have been together ever since. When we left uni we both moved to Leeds as a middle point for us, as I was from Carlisle and Rob was from St Albans. We are now married with 2 boys and still in Leeds.

A Valentine’s to remember

Shared by Claire Boardman, an alumna of York St John College.

We still can’t agree on when we first met, but having briefly crossed paths at an audition to work at the York dungeon, we were secretly set up on a blind date in 2002.

We shared our first kiss at Toffs nightclub, coincidentally Valentine’s Day 2002 and Mark’s 21st birthday! We dated for year, spending many a a night together in the student union and lunch breaks in the quad. We our separate ways after university but always remained friends, even at opposite ends of the country with one of us in Edinburgh and one in London.

We finally reunited in 2006, got engaged Christmas Day 2009, and married in 2011. Mark has been by my side through some very serious health issues over the years and we’re still going strong. Our beautiful daughter arriving in 2015 was the icing on the cake. This Valentines is 23 year since our first kiss, and I wouldn’t change a thing.

A Grange Romance

Shared by Michael and Fleur White, alumni of York St John.

We met September 2004 on our first day. We had been allocated the same flat in our halls of residence, Baldwin House at The Grange. If we had not chosen to study at York St John our paths would not have crossed. Fleur had moved from Scarborough to study Occupational Therapy and Michael had moved from London to study Language and Human Communication. We got engaged the year after graduating, married in 2010 and now live together in Harrogate with our two daughters. We celebrated 20 years together last September!

A musical romance

Shared by Mags Jolly, an alum of York St John College.

Nick and I studied Music at St John’s College in 2004-2007. We were close friends before we began seeing each other towards the end of our final year. Nick proposed in 2012 and we married in 2013 at the University Chapel. Our son Alex arrived in 2015, and we welcomed our daughter Amelia in 2023. We’ve been through some rough times but we’ve always been there to support each other. I can’t imagine life without him.