Laughter and smiles as Northampton couple celebrates 70 platinum years of married life

A Northampton couple is celebrating their platinum wedding anniversary after 70 years of married life - and they are still laughing and smiling together.

Denis and Sylvia Pitcher met in their birth town of Wellingborough through friends, around four years before they tied the knot at Mill Road Baptist Church on July 25, 1953.

After their wedding, 21-year-old Denis and 20-year-old Sylvia headed to “exotic” Eastbourne on the train for a week-long honeymoon, which Denis recalled cost £5.

The couple moved to Northampton shortly after they wed and now reside in the Westone area of town.

Sylvia, who is now 90, worked in the office at Whitworth in Wellingborough before becoming a housewife when the couple went on to have three children - Ian, Lynn and Neil.

Denis, who is now 91, served in the Tank Corps as a radio operator for two years from 1950 to 1952. He then became a police officer for the Northampton Borough Police Force, before the county was represented by one police force. Denis worked as a police officer for 25 years.

In their spare time, the pair fell in love with caravaning and spent 54 years touring “all over the country and Wales”. When the duo first started caravaning, they said they would never go back to the same place twice, but after visiting Gower Peninsula in Wales following a recommendation from their minister at the time, Denis and Sylvia spent 50 years re-visiting their favourite place and staying at a small campsite where they made friends with the owners and with other families who would visit every year, too. They fell in love with the area so much so that they celebrated their golden wedding anniversary at a pub close by, where they had also become friends with the owners.

The pair say keeping active has helped them to sustain their marriage for so many decades. Together they have enjoyed dancing, walking, bodyboard surfing, swimming and gardening over the years.

Sylvia said: “When we got involved in dancing, we went all over the place. We danced and loved it and made friends through it. Sometimes we danced three times a week.”

They were both also involved in the police retirement club, which saw them organise and take part in many trips, weekends away, afternoon teas and more for a number of years.

Asked the age-old question of what is the secret to a happy marriage, Denis told this newspaper: “You need to have a sense of humour.” The sense of humour was very much apparent when we visited the couple. On several occasions during the short visit, they laughed with each other and it was clear to see they both still make each other smile.

Sylvia added: “Keep active and look after each other, as Denis has to do for me now. And just enjoy life.”

To mark the occasion of their platinum anniversary, Denis and Sylvia are planning to go out for a meal with their youngest son and daughter-in-law, who celebrates her birthday on the same day as the couple’s anniversary, as well as a bigger family gathering over the weekend. The couple are also hoping to receive a letter from the King.