Neither Barbara Thompson nor Fred Jenkins thought that love would be on the cards for them again after the death of their spouses.

However, a meeting at the gym in their retirement village in Sutton Coldfield sparked a romance which has brought a whole new adventure into their lives.

Barbara, 88, said: "I was asked if I would go with a friend [to the gym] to do toning up exercises, which I've always liked doing.

"She gave up and I carried on and that's how I got to know Fred."

Fred, a former army personal trainer, started coaching Barbara and the pair got to know each other.

Barbara said he was patient in his training and "eventually I got the message", while Fred said Barbara listened to him and has been doing very well with her training.

"It blossomed from there," Fred said. "We found it very easy together."

Eventually, the 88-year-old asked Barbara out for a meal.

Their relationship was a huge surprise to both of them, who never expected that they would find someone else after their spouses died.

Fred said: "I thought when my wife passed, that was it. But you get lonely sitting there on your own.

"Yes we had friends but... I suppose I was a bit of a loner."

The pair now train together three times a week, play dominoes, bowls and darts, dance when music is on, work side by side in the village garden and have just shared their first holiday together.

Both say the relationship has changed them for the better.

Barbara believes Fred came out of himself after a lonely period, while Fred says she has helped him calm down and become more patient.

"I have always been very, very short tempered in my life," he admitted. "I wasn't very patient, but I find myself calmed down now."

Finding Fred has brought an unexpected reversal, as she said: "All of a sudden, now I've got Fred, it seems as though he's looking after me."

As for living arrangements, Barbara and Fred still have separate apartments and have decided not to complicate things with marriage.

They spend most of their time together, share meals and activities, while keeping the independence of their own homes.

"We're on a new adventure," Barbara said. "We laugh together. I got Fred to do things that he's never done before.

"Took him swimming, took him to the pictures, I get him to do things that are out of his comfort zone.

"We laugh together and we enjoy each other."

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