Heart-tugging tale of ex-pat brewery boss aiming to renew wedding vows in Chesterfield

A Chesterfield ex-pat with a terminal disease is determined to renew his wedding vows in his Derbyshire birthplace.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Marc Fretwell, who lives in North Carolina, USA, was diagnosed with brain cancer 13 years ago and had an operation on the tumour the day before his son was born.

He said: "It's a large tumour in my brain that's never gone away. I've been put on palliative end of life care but not been given a sell-by date. I've still got so many things that I want do and I just want to enjoy my life with my wife and son.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"My wife and I are planning to renew our wedding vows in Chesterfield this July. We got married at Ringwood Hall in 2006 and had our marriage blessed at the Crooked Spire church the following day."

Marc Fretwell with his wife Merri and their 13-year-old son Tristan.Marc Fretwell with his wife Merri and their 13-year-old son Tristan.
Marc Fretwell with his wife Merri and their 13-year-old son Tristan.

In the past Marc and wife Merri have renewed their vows every five years in America. But with the uncertainty over Marc's life expectancy they are bringing the celebration forward and flying 4,000 miles to the country returning to the country where they tied the knot. Marc said: "We're setting it up to recur with all my friends who came over from America with me last time - about 20 of them. I say this in levity, it's my end of life party.

"I want my son to see where my wife and I got married. The Crooked Spire church is very important to me - everywhere I go I look for pictures of Chesterfield and the Crooked Spire is there. It's a nice place to own in your heart."

One aspect of the visit that Marc, 53, is greatly looking forward to is tucking into his favourite English food. He said: "I'm not going to be doing fine dining, I'm going to live in a chip shop. There was a fish and chip shop down The Shambles in Chesterfield which had the best fish and chips in the world!"Marc was born in Chesterfield and lived in Wadshelf for 20 years. On leaving Manor School at 16 he worked at the Bakewell pudding shop Bloomers which was owned by his aunt's husband, John Bloomer. From there, Marc moved into engineering, travelled the world and experienced life in New Zealand, Africa, India, Far East, Middle East, Texas and Virginia.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He first met Merri on a river in Texas. Marc said: "The pastime for Texans is to jump on an inner tube with a crateful of beer and drink. We were in a group, somebody had dumped something into the river and we floated off together to look at it. We became inseparable from then on.

Marc and Merri Fretwell got married at Ringwood Hall Hotel, Brimington, in 2006.Marc and Merri Fretwell got married at Ringwood Hall Hotel, Brimington, in 2006.
Marc and Merri Fretwell got married at Ringwood Hall Hotel, Brimington, in 2006.

"I was working in Massachusetts and she flew up to see me...it was 10pm and I proposed to her in the parking lot of a food store. She's been my life ever since."

In 2016, Marc set up Hickory Nut Gorge Brewery to brew English craft beer in a converted barbecue joint overlooking a river in Chimney Rock, North Carolina.

As demand for his beer took off, Marc expanded his business by moving the brewery to a Forties movie theatre in Mars Hill, some 40 miles away. His customers at both places now tuck into English dishes such as bangers and mash, shepherd’s pie and fish and chips!

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Marc is keen to add souvenirs of his Derbyshire heritage to the bars. He said: "I'd like some old outside pub signs from Chesterfield. People say it will cost a lot to send over but if I could get everything sent to my family members in England, I'll pay to have it transported all at once."

Hickory Nut Gorge Brewery operates in a movie theatre where films are shown and customers can enjoy English craft beer and food.Hickory Nut Gorge Brewery operates in a movie theatre where films are shown and customers can enjoy English craft beer and food.
Hickory Nut Gorge Brewery operates in a movie theatre where films are shown and customers can enjoy English craft beer and food.

The Fretwells live in an idyllic location at Lake Lure.

Marc said: "My wife inherited some property which had been in her family for about 40 years. Lake Lure is famous for Dirty Dancing and Last of the Mohicans which were filmed here."

Their home is on top of a mountain which Marc, Merri and their son Tristan share with four dogs, five cats and two parrots. Five chickens living outside run the risk of being supper for the black bears that roam the area. Marc said: "There's a family of bears come very close to the house, they take my chickens every now and again.

"We get cut off every year for about a month and we can't get to the road because of the snow. Trees come down, so we have a generator for the times that we have no power. We're lucky that all our fireplaces have wood burning stoves.

Hickory Nut Gorge Brewery's bar in Chimney Rock overlooks a river with crystal-clear water.Hickory Nut Gorge Brewery's bar in Chimney Rock overlooks a river with crystal-clear water.
Hickory Nut Gorge Brewery's bar in Chimney Rock overlooks a river with crystal-clear water.
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"From my house I look at a range of mountains and part of north and west Carolinas. I’m looking at doves flying around and it’s wonderful. I've got a terminal disease but there's worse places in the world to die. My life is not too shabby - I'm thankful for every minute of the day."

Anyone who has Chesterfield pub memorabilia or items of local interest to donate can reach Marc through social media at www.facebook.com/marc.fretwell.3 or email your contact details to: [email protected]