Grantham couple celebrate diamond wedding anniversary after meeting on a blind date in 1959

A couple who first met on a blind date in 1959 are celebrating their diamond wedding anniversary today (Thursday).

John and Jan Beaty, who live in Manthorpe, met while John was serving in the RAF at Barkston Heath. They were invited for a night out out by friends and after being asked a second time if she would like to join them, the couple started dating.

It was while they were seeing each other that John was posted to Aden in the Middle East. He would spend two years there, but during a period of leave the couple went away to Scotland and got engaged in Edinburgh. They would later marry in Sutton Coldfield when Jan was 21 and John aged 26.

Jan is originally from Birmingham and worked for Barclays bank there as a secretary. John is from Bradford where he was friends at school with David Hockney, the famous artist. John is passionate about cars and motorbikes and took up a job at a bakery after leaving school. In just a few months he earned enough money to buy his first motorcycle.

John worked as a ground wireless fitter in the RAF and often worked closely with nuclear bombs. He left the RAF after nine years and the couple lived in Harrowby Road before having a bungalow built in Frieston near Caythorpe in the mid-1960s. John worked at a garage in Ancaster before the couple took on the lease of the Amoco garage in Manthorpe Road, now the Jet station.

In 1976, they bought their own garage business in Castlegate which became John Beaty Motors Engineers. The couple lived next door to the business until 1984.

John retired from the business in 1990 and they later sold it.

The couple enjoy living in Manthorpe, so much so they are now living in their third home in the village.

They have one son, David, who lives near Lichfield and recently retired from HSBC where he worked for 39 years, becoming UK Head of Business Banking and UK Commercial Banking, and one daughter, Justine, who lives in Wales with her family. Jan and John have five grandchildren and three step grandchildren.

Unfortunately, John suffered a stroke last year which means he can no longer drive, but his passion for motors stretched so far that at one point he owned 18 motorcycles.

In his early days he took part in speedway and later on he would race rally cars successfully in the UK and in Europe and was East Midlands Champion.

Jan used to enjoy line dancing and she and John are still members of Grantham Twinning Association which they have belonged to since it first began over 40 years ago.

Jan said “tolerance” was the name of the game in a long marriage and they agree they never go to sleep on an argument. She said: “We are very lucky to still have one another.”

The couple are celebrating with a meal with family today.