A couple celebrated their Platinum Wedding anniversary at a nursing home in Chickerell.

Ron and Gwyn Gill (94 and 91) celebrated with a romantic lunch at Queen Charlotte Nursing Home on Chickerell Road.

The couple, who have two children and six grandchildren, enjoyed their favourite meal, salmon in a tomato sauce, in the home’s quiet lounge which had been specially decorated for the occasion.

The 70th-anniversary celebration was made complete by visits from son Andrew Gill and other family members; daughter Samantha rang her parents from her home in South Africa but will be shortly visiting Dorset.

Home manager Moira Stevens said: “They were thrilled to receive an anniversary card from King Charles. In the afternoon we laid on special entertainment with a display by Sharandys Birds of Prey.”

The couple have lived at Queen Charlotte for three and a half years.

Ron said: “Gwyn has always been my sidekick.”

Through their married life they lived at Dibden Purlieu, on the edge of the New Forest, before moving to Preston, near Weymouth.

Ron and Gwyn met when she was attending the YWCA (Young Women’s Christian Association) and Ron’s friend asked him to go along on the Sunday with him; on a Sunday a woman attending could invite a male friend to socialise.

An evening out with his friend turned into the evening Ron met Gwyn and the story began.

They began catching the train to work at Dorchester together and this led to many conversations on the way to work.

After a while, they decided they would date and not long after, it was no secret that Ron and Gwyn had fallen in love. Ron said: “After we started to date it just got better.”

In March 1953 Ron and Gwyn got married in Holy Trinity Church in Weymouth.

Ron was in the Royal Observer Corps and then went on to work for Wimpey Homes. 

Gwyn worked at Monsanto, then she went on to work at The Beaulieu Motor Museum in Brockenhurst.

Gwyn enjoyed bringing up her children - Samantha has recently moved to Dubai and Andrew lives more locally in Poole, keeping the family home running.

They agree the secret to their happy long relationship is “love and commitment”.