Sywell couple who met through newspaper advert set to celebrate 30 years of marriage

After plucking up the courage to take out an advert in the Chronicle and Echo back in the 1980s, little did Raymond Grant know it would land him a marriage proposal and two daughters.

In May 1987, his now wife Dawn Grant spotted the notice while she was working for her parents' firm and sat down to write him a letter so they could exchange telephone numbers.

Dawn said: "I was not really meeting with anyone at the time and I was working for my parents business that was based in Luton so I was working long hours with my folks.

"I said I would like to meet someone so I had a cursory glance in the newspaper and I saw the advert.

"I ummed and aahed about whether to answer it but my sister said 'what have you got to lose'?

"I wrote him a letter, he wrote back to me and he sent me his phone number, we just clicked straight away."

Days later Dawn's brother dropped her off at Abington Park for Dawn and Raymond's first date, before they headed to Stoke Bruerne for a stroll down the canalside with an ice cream.

Dawn, who was 22 at the time they met, joked how Raymond advertised his age as 27 when he was actually 29 because he was embarrassed he might be a little too old.

"We had a lovely afternoon," Dawn added. "I still remember walking around Stoke Bruerne and in my head I was thinking 'this is the person I'm going to spend the rest of my life with' and thankfully, the feeling was mutual.

"People did not have dating websites then, not like what you have now. That was really just how you dated."

After spending a year together Raymond proposed in 1988 before they bought a house together in Sywell in 1989, where they remain now, before they tied the knot in 1990.

This year it's the couple's 30th wedding anniversary on June 9 but due to Raymond being poorly the couple are considering bringing their celebrations forward to mark the occasion with close family, including their daughters Hannah and Katie.

"We are just obviously very compatible," Dawn said. "I have to honestly say we never have an argument.

"Ray is a really easygoing person by nature and I think opposite personalities attract. We balance each other out."