A married couple who have lived in the Welshpool area for several decades are celebrating their 65th wedding anniversary this summer.
John Meredith, who served as mayor of Welshpool from 2012 to 2014, and his wife Joan will be marking their 65th wedding anniversary on July 25, and holding a celebration with family and friends later that week on July 28.
John, now aged 88, and Joan, now 87, met in 1954 in Middletown, and were married in1959 and moved to Llanerchyddol Lodge, Welshpool. They have lived in the local area ever since.
John, who was serving in the Royal Air Force when the couple met, went on to work at Naylors before becoming the manager of the joiners shop at Boys and Boden until he retired. He still found time to serve as Welshpool’s mayor in his 70s.
The couple raised two daughters, Deana and Nadia, and now have six grandchildren as well as four great grandchildren.
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Describing her parents long marriage, Deana said: “They met on the bus when there were both travelling to Welshpool to go to the cinema.
“Dad was with his friends, and they were sitting behind mum and her friend. When they left dad followed them up the street and it started raining so he ran up to mum and put his coat over her shoulders.
“They started a relationship which continued long distance while he was based at Doncaster doing his national service in the Air Force, where he reached rank of corporal.
“Mum was, at this time, a long term patient at the Orthopaedic Hospital in Gobowen. She was the first person in the country to have a triple leg lengthening operation, lengthening of femur, fibula and tibia.”
As it is customary to receive a card from the monarch on a diamond wedding anniversary and a 65th anniversary, they now have cards from both Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles III.
Deana added: “It’s really sweet to see them together. They always give plenty of support to one another, pottering about while hand in hand.
“Even after all this time they’re excited and over the moon to be celebrating such a milestone anniversary. They’ve simply always been there for one another.”
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