Wedding anniversary presents for a bereaved couple

Friends of my family have recently been bereaved and their golden wedding is coming up. However, they're still in deep mourning and aren't really in the mood to celebrate.

I would like to give them something for their anniversary, but not an object that will clutter up their house. I was thinking along the lines of something that would get them out of the house and enable them to get away without too much effort. I had considered getting them National Trust membership for a year, but it turns out that they used to be NT members and weren't interested in renewing their membership, as they had already seen everything in their area. One alternative might be to book them a weekend away, but that's a pretty big undertaking and I'm reluctant to force them into doing something or going somewhere specific they might not be in the mood for, particularly if there's no guarantee they would like it once they got there.

The wife is physically quite active, but the husband less so.

Can anyone think of any membership type thing... or some kind of voucher for an activity/experience that could be used at a time of their choice?

Perhaps you could get one of those subscriptions where someone says a prayer for them every day for a year?

how about a year's supply of prozac?

or a year's supply of viagra if a lack of physical activity is an issue?

a year's supply of both might make for a "happy end".

how much do you want to spend, and in what way are they bereaved (since clearly neither one of them passed)?

How about gift certificates for either a large department store in their area or else for a nice restaurant that they like?

how about a Sekt-Brunch?

I'm going to assume that the National Trust you are refering to is the British one, rather than the Canadian or Australian ones. Depending on where they live, English Heritage might be something along similar lines but obviously different properties.

just forget the date and gloss over it. job done, and no awkward moments. ignorance is your key.

Why not go for a gift that really makes a difference like those offered by aid organisations like World Vision. They have a gift catalog with a range of ongoing and once off items that then go to a person/family/community in a third world country where they really make a difference, but in the name of the person to whom you are giving the fit.

Over the last few years, instead of "traditional gifts" our friends/family have "received" goats, artificial limbs, school packs, seed packs, mosquito nets etc and the response has, without exception, been so positive.

Check out their catalog for some ideas of what you could consider. Other aid organisations have similar offerings - there is a huge choice out there.

Or, in a similar light to the suggestion above, sponsor their favourite animal at the local zoo. Add a year's membership so they can go visit "their animal".

You could get them a stone at Twickenham or Shakespeare's Globe

One of their children died suddenly.

Thanks for the suggestions about gift certificates/memberships/sponsorships.