The update on current affairs, every Monday
Sign up and receive news via email
A touching Christmas story, it is that of a couple Cardiff who welcomed a man by surprise on Christmas Day and made him stay with them for 45 years.
A Christmas that changed everything
On a Christmas day in 1975, a young couple from Cardiff, Rob and Dianne Parsons, were preparing the celebrations in their home when there was a knock on the door. It was December 23rd, and the last thing they expected was an unexpected guest.
An unexpected meeting
In front of the door was a man with a plastic bag in which he had his possessions and a frozen chicken in his hand.
Rob recognized him vaguely: his name was Ronnie Lockwood and he had seen him at Sunday School. Out of a rush of kindness — and perhaps without really thinking too much about it — the two said, “Come in.”
From a few days… to a lifetime
That simple sentence changed their lives. Rob and Dianne let him in, made him food and gave him a bath — starting with the idea that Ronnie would be alone for a few days. What really happened was much more: Ronnie remained with them for 45 years.
A lasting bond
What was supposed to be a brief gesture of Christmas hospitality turned into a profound relationship of affection and coexistence. Over the decades, Ronnie became an integral part of the family and the couple’s life, until his death in 2020 at the age of 75.
A legacy of kindness
The story doesn’t end there: a £1.6 million wellness center attached to Glenwood Church in Cardiff, called “Lockwood House”, was named in Ronnie’s honour. The realization of that project was almost completed thanks to the funds that Ronnie had bequeathed — an outcome that the couple described as almost surprising.
As reported by BBC News, the spontaneous decision to open the door that Christmas night in 1975 led to an extraordinary and lasting human connection, demonstrating how a simple act of kindness can have a huge impact on the lives of more people.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
