Holbeach diamond couple's party has never stopped
When a knight in shining armour came to the rescue after an injury on the dancefloor, it became a love story.
That’s what happened when Sally and Roy Huddlestone, from Holbeach, met in 1960.
Ever since Roy scooped Sally up from the floor at a friend’s 21st birthday party, they have held each other up throughout their 60 year marriage.
Sally, who was 19 when she met 22 year old Roy, said: “Roy turned up in a small Morgan sports car which I would have loved to have gone home in that night. But I didn’t.
“You could say he was my knight in shining armour as I fell over outside during the conga and he picked me up and carried me indoors.”
The couple got engaged the following year on April 15 and then married on April 14 in 1962.
Sally said: “Roy was in the air force and he had notification that he was going to Aden in the June.
“We decided that we wanted to get married before then and managed a small white wedding with my sister Gillian as bridesmaid.”
The couple married near Upminster in Essex, with Sally originally hailing from the county and Roy being a Twickenham boy.
“I remember a bit of the wedding - it had been snowing, raining and high winds before but when we walked out of the church, it was brilliant sun,” Sally said.
The happy couple then travelled to the Isle of Wight for their honeymoon but were soon separated due to Roy’s posting.
Sally said: “It didn’t seem right. We were writing back and forth and I had seen on the news that there was a lot of fighting.
“I asked him about it and he said ‘what fighting?’. He hadn’t been anywhere near it.”
Around 35 years ago, the couple moved to Holbeach where Roy’s parents lived, bringing with them their son, Martyn, born in 1965 and daughter, Kim, born in 1969.
Sally, who had worked as a shorthand typist at the Daily Mail went on to work as a part time music teacher at the Priory School in Spalding, while Roy opened up his garage in Holbeach.
Sally says that the secret to a long marriage is pretty simple.She added: “It’s about give and take, mostly.
“You don’t want to be without them but occasionally you can do without being with them too, no matter how much you love each other.”
The couple celebrated their big day surrounded by loved ones at Holbeach United Services Club and everyone had a very good time.
- If you are celebrating a milestone wedding anniversary please email victoria.fear@iliffepublishing.co.uk