ACT OF SERVICE

When Maureen Barron, 72, from Northampton, came back from a weekend away to a burglary, there was only one thing that mattered...

Settling down with a cup of tea, I heard the familiar voice of Colin Murray blare out from the TV.

'Ah, just in time,' I said to my husband, Geoffrey, 72.

Countdown was his absolute favourite programme.

He'd do all the maths in a matter of seconds and was a whizz at the words, too.

Geoffrey and I tied the knot in I not he co do 2006, and have been together ever since.

We share six children, 17 grandchildren and six greatgrandchildren between us, and we're close with them all.

One of the first things that made me fall for Geoffrey was his sense of humour.

He was always making me laugh, and was a natural born storyteller, too.

Having served in the Northampton borough police force for 32 years, he certainly had a lot of tales to tell.

When he retired in 1994, he received a service medal for his time in the police.

It was his pride possession. He kept it under lock and key in a safe, and got it out only to clean it and show to his guests.

My grandson, Kane, 32, always came down to visit ticed uldn't and loved listening the to his stories.

'Wow, that's incredible Grandad,' he said, the first time he saw the medal. 'It's in perfect condition!'

A little bit of polish goes a long way,' Geoffrey replied with a twinkle in his eye.

He could talk your ear off about his medal all day, and if you gave him a police number from his borough, he could tell you exactly who it was.

His memory was incredible. So, when he gradually started forgetting names and places, I knew something was off.

One day we sat down to watch Countdown and I noticed he couldn't do the sums as he usually did.

'I don't know that one,' he said, scratching his head.

'Why can't I do it?"

You're probably tired, that's all,' I replied

Only, I knew it wasn't right, and when it happene again, I took him to the GP.