Diamond anniversary for Stenhousemuir couple Peter and Christina Jarrett

Peter, now 79, recalled how their first outing following their wedding was when they attended a match at Ibrox Stadium to watch his beloved Rangers FC.

But by then the new Mrs Jarrett was well-used to him spending his Saturday afternoon’s at football matches with his brothers and it continued over the next six decades.

Peter grew up in Bonnybridge and his first job was at nearby Smith & Wellstood where he was employed in the office, while Christina Henderson was from Dunipace and her first job was in Denny Co-op.

Like so many couples of their era, they met at the dancing in Larbert’s Dobbie Hall.

Romance blossomed and wedding bells followed with the ceremony taking place at Dunipace Parish Church on January 24, 1964, followed by a reception for family and friends in the Railway Hotel, Denny.

Sadly Christina’s father died only a few weeks before the wedding, but the newlyweds were able to take over the council tenancy on the family home in Church Lane, Denny, where they lived with her sister.

Peter was now working for Falkirk Co-op in the offices in Grahams Road, before, as so often was the case in the Co-op movement, the couple were heading to Guardbridge in Fife when he went to work there. However, they were only in the Kingdom for one year before coming back to this area where he worked for the Co-op in Stenhousemuir.

A Co-op house in the Main Street came with the job and the family moved there before moving into Holyrood Place in Anthonshill 54 years ago, a property which is still their home today.

When Falkirk and Stenhousemuir Co-ops amalgamated, Peter got a job in the factory at Carron Ironworks and when it closed he got a job at Wranglers factory in Camelon.

However, when it closed in 1999 Peter was convinced his working days were over at 55. But as he said: “I was in the right place at the right time and got a job in the security office at Alexanders bus factory, next door to Wrangler. I remained there until my retirement.”

The couple have three children – David, Lynn and Lorraine – and four grandchildren.

Christina, now 79, spent years looking after her family and home while their children were younger. She then got the opportunity of six weeks work as a domestic as the Royal Scottish National Hospital in Larbert – and stayed in the job 35 years. When RSNH closed she moved to work at Falkirk & District Royal Infirmary.

Throughout their life the couple followed their joint decision not to have any debt. Peter said: “If we wanted something, then we would save up for it. That’s something we’ve stuck to throughout our married life.

"Our family has always been our priority and we like nothing better than spending time with them.”

Their diamond day on January 24 was celebrated with immediate family at the Dutch Inn in Skinflats, then at the weekend the whole family had lunch at Ciro’s at Glenbervie where they were able to look back on 60 years of happy memories.