Looking Back: Photographer Chris and his beloved wife

Chris and wife Lesley featured in an ET story in 1971.

Today’s pictures from Chris Porsz’s Reunions book are very poignant as they are of Chris and his wife, Lesley, who sadly died on October 2.

Chris was a student, aged 18, and Lesley a clerical officer at BT, aged 20, when they were pictured in the Peterborough Evening Telegraph in 1971 after hitchhiking around 6,000 miles across Europe and North Africa in just three weeks. They were married in 1976 and have three children and seven grandchildren.

Chris asked that extracts of the following Facebook post be published.

Chris wrote: “This is the hardest and saddest post I have ever made but I felt it important that I now let friends know that Lesley, my beloved wife of nearly fifty years, died peacefully at home surrounded by her loving family on Sunday, October 2nd 2022.

Chris and wife Lesley recreating the original photo 50 years later

“I will always be immensely grateful to Lesley's wonderful oncologist Dr Karen McAdam and her fantastic team at Peterborough City Hospital.

“I also want to sincerely thank the amazing palliative care and district nurses, the hospice nurses from Thorpe Hall and our fantastic NHS.

“Her funeral will be a colourful celebration of her life.

"She did not want black so it will be pink and instead of flowers, donations will go to the Peterborough City Hospital oncology unit and for Breast Cancer Research.’’

The funeral service will be at Peterborough Crematorium on Friday 28th October at 11am.

At 12.30pm friends and family are invited to meet at one of her favourite places, The Willow Cafe in Central Park.