‘Sharing’ key to happy marriage according to diamond couple from Ketton

Vic and Bernice Henry, of Pied Bull Close, met at a church hall dance in Hucknall, near Nottingham, with Vic’s fancy footwork catching the attention of Bernice.

Bernice, now 81, said: “Vic was, and still is, a very good dancer. He was the best man there and was very, very good at leading.”

The couple married in married in 1958 and moved to the area before settling in Ketton 40 years ago. They’ve been in the village ever since, with both playing a prominent role in the community.

Vic has been the chairman of the village’s parish council and the sports association, as well as president of Stamford Kiwanis, while Bernice has been president of Ketton’s Women’s Institute and has also helped with the village’s meals on wheels service.

The couple have recently downsized to a smaller house and are keeping themselves busy getting their new home just so.

So, what do the couple put their longevity down to? Vic, 82, said: “The secret to a long and successful marriage is ‘talking things through’. If there’s ever a problem we are both prepared to talk, and we’ve always made time to talk things through properly.”

Bernice agreed. She said: “We’ve always been very good at talking things through. And we’re always shared everything, including money. It has never been a case of ‘mine’ or ‘yours’, it’s always been ‘ours’ and we’ve always had a joint account. Everything goes into one pot.”

The couple have even been back to the hall where their love affair started.

Bernice said: “The hall was much bigger than I remember, but it still had the same atmosphere and the same glitterball. It was great to go back and see where it all began.”

Vic and Bernice will be celebrating their big day with afternoon tea at the Falcon Hotel in Uppingham with their daughter Claire and son David.