LITTLEPORT couple Ronald and Betty Hart were accompanying their friends on a date when they met.

Ronald, a friend of Betty’s brother, was invited along to keep Betty company while her brother and her friend met up for a date.

Though their friends may have split up after only a week, their courtship blossomed and, on Thursday, they will be celebrating their diamond wedding anniversary.

Ronald, 79, and Betty, 84, were married in 1952 at St Matthew’s Church on Wisbech Road and made their home in the village shortly after.

The couple, who worked on the land, have seven children, 16 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

And the secret to their long and happy marriage? “unconditional love” said Ronald. “Living as the good lord intended, this means giving and forgiving and, like many other walks of life, you get out what you put in.”