Two days before Christmas in 1975, a knock at the door of a young Cardiff couple's home would set in motion an extraordinary story of compassion that lasted for nearly half a century.
The unexpected Christmas visitor
Rob and Dianne Parsons, then aged 27 and 26 and married for just four years, were preparing for the festive season when they heard the unexpected sound. Opening the door, they found a man holding a bin bag containing all his worldly possessions in one hand and a frozen chicken in the other.
Rob eventually recognised the visitor as Ronnie Lockwood, a man he remembered from Sunday School as a child. Ronnie, who was autistic and 30 years old at the time, had been homeless and unemployed since the age of 15. Faced with this unexpected situation on December 23, 1975, Rob uttered two simple words: "Come in."
From a few days to a lifetime
The couple's initial plan was simply to offer Ronnie a place to bathe and stay over the Christmas period. However, they found they could not bring themselves to ask him to leave. What began as a short-term gesture of seasonal goodwill transformed into a permanent arrangement.
Dianne recalled their first Christmas together vividly. "I can remember him now," she said. "He was sat at the Christmas table and he had these presents and he cried because he'd never known that sort of feeling of love."
The early days required adjustment. Ronnie was initially awkward and sometimes struggled with eye contact. "But then we got to know him and, in truth, we got to love him," the couple explained.
Building a life together
Understanding that Ronnie needed stability to progress, Rob and Dianne became his steadfast supporters. They encountered a classic catch-22: homeless centres said Ronnie needed an address to get a job, but he needed a job to get an address.
The couple helped him break this cycle. They assisted Ronnie in securing a job as a waste collector and provided him with new clothes. Rob, a solicitor, made a significant personal sacrifice, waking up an hour early each day to drive Ronnie to work before heading to his own office.
This daily routine became a source of quiet pride for Ronnie. Rob once noticed him smiling in the car and asked why. Ronnie replied: "Rob, when you take me to work in the mornings, the other men say 'who is that who brings you to work in that car?' And I say 'oh that's my solicitor'."
Reflecting on this, Rob believed it was less about the status and more about having someone who cared. "We think maybe he never had somebody take him on his first day of school," he said.
A complex and loving dynamic
Dianne described the family dynamic as multifaceted but deeply rewarding. "Sometimes I was his mother, sometimes I was his social worker and sometimes I was his carer," she explained. Despite the challenges, the couple said they could not imagine their lives without Ronnie.
Their family grew to include Ronnie, and he shared in their lives, including Christmas celebrations with their son, Lloyd. The bond that began with a knock on the door endured for 45 years, only ending when Ronnie died in 2020 at the age of 75 following a stroke.
Now 77 and 76, Rob and Dianne Parsons look back on a decision made in the spirit of Christmas that defined their lives. It stands as a powerful testament to how a simple act of kindness, offering shelter and unconditional support, can forge an unbreakable family bond that transcends conventional definitions.
