AFTER half a century together, a Dorchester couple are looking to head back to sunny Majorca where they had their honeymoon.

Bruce and Maureen Tigwell were married at St Michael’s Church in Basingstoke on March 12, 1966.

Bruce, originally from Kent, had moved to the Hampshire town when he was five years old and Maureen, from the east-end of London, moved there when she was four.

She had started working at a record shop, where Bruce would come in and listen to music on the sound systems in the store.

Mrs Tigwell, now 70, said: “When we went on our first date, I found out that he didn’t have a record player and that’s why he came in all the time.”

At their wedding there around 100 guests because of the number of blood relatives the couple had collectively.

Mrs Tigwell said: “Both our parents were members of large families.

“My mum was one of six, my dad was one of nine, and Bruce’s mum was one of nine and his dad was one of eleven.

“Then we had five bridesmaids.”

Mr Tigwell, 73, said: “I started off working as a bricklayer’s apprentice.

“Then I worked at my uncles company in Basingstoke.

“We moved down to Dorchester in 1975 when I began work looking after building maintenance at the West Dorset Health Authority.

“I retired in 2002.

“The secret to a long marriage I would have to say, is give and take.

“Listen to each other because everyone has an opinion.”

Between 1970 and 1984, the couple had four children: Steven, Richard, Natalie and Mark.

The whole family live in Dorchester and Bruce and Maureen have five grandchildren.

Mrs Tigwell started work in Manor Park School in Dorchester as a classroom assistant from 1988 until 2002.

She said: “We are going to have a family meal for 12 of us – our little grandchildren will stay home with a baby sitter – on Saturday.

“The later in the year, Bruce and I are going to go away just the two of us to Majorca.

“That’s where we had our honeymoon.”