Diamond wedding anniversary milestone for Englefield Green couple

To mark 60 years of wedded bliss, the pair were showered with cards, gifts and flowers and even received a card from Buckingham Palace offering congratulations.

When asked for the secret of their long marriage, Avril said the key was love, tolerance and a special rough-puff pastry recipe passed down from her mother, which has become one of Stanley's favourites.

Stanley, 83, one of six children, grew up in Mullens Road, Egham. Avril, 85, is the only surviving member of five children, and spent her early years in South Road, Englefield Green.

The lovestruck pair met when Avril's sister, Joyce, and her brother-in-law took her with them to a football match that Stanley was playing in.

The pair tied the knot at Woking register office on September 29, 1951 and have spent their entire married life in Englefield Green.

Stanley went on to serve with the RAF in Palestine, while Avril did her bit for the war effort as well, working at a munitions factory in Slough.

Post-Second World War, Avril worked as a seamstress at what was then Royal Holloway College in Egham, while Stanley worked at Foster Wheelers and then Petters in Staines.

Sports-mad Stanley loves his football and played for both Petters and Lagonda. In his latter years he took on the more leisurely sport of cricket, playing for Wraysbury Cricket Club.

They have one daughter, Carol, two grandchildren and a great-granddaughter.