John & Norma Waldron

JOHN and Norma Waldron, who retired to Royal Wootton Bassett 14 years ago, enjoyed a wonderful family party to celebrate their recent diamond wedding.

Originally from London, they have many friends and are both active in the local community. John, who plays bowls and snooker, enjoys watercolour painting and is a member of the local Art Society.

In his younger days, he liked portrait painting, and studied art at evening class for three years. He is a former sidesman at St Bartholomew's Church, where Norma is a lay pastoral assistant and a member of the Mothers' Union and the Ladies' Guild. Their family is in Royal Wootton Bassett, Malmesbury and London.

Norma and John first met at a dance when she was 18, and romance blossomed. They were engaged within a few months, and married when she was 20 and he was 26, at a Baptist church in Bermondsey, close to Norma's family home. John was working for a printing firm and Norma was in the accounts office of a Danish company. Much of John's working life was with British Telecom, including the last 25 years of his career as a personnel manager.

Norma chose lemon dresses for her three bridesmaids - her sister, a cousin and a friend. "Our wedding was on a beautiful hot day, July 19, 1958, and we had a lovely reception at my grandmother's house, as she had a large room. We hired the crockery from J Lyons, who also made the cake, and the family did the catering," Norma recalled.

"Ours was the first wedding in that church after the wartime bomb damage had been repaired."

After a honeymoon at Shanklin, Isle of Wight, the newlyweds lived in Eltham for two years, prior to moving to a village in Kent, where they spent 21 years.

Their three daughters were born in 1961, 1964 and 1975.

"We used to enjoy camping holidays in Cornwall," they said. Now there are eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren (aged seven, five and one). "Our family makes life such a joy. We are very blessed," they said.

Looking ahead, further celebration is planned, with a Mediterranean cruise to set the seal on their diamond year.