Sparkling day for John and Hilda

Two weeks ago they were thrilled when the family organised a party to celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary.

This week the devoted couple were left delighted again after their friends at Falkirk Blind Club arranged another event for them to mark the happy occasion.

John (94) only heard about what was planned a few hours before he and Hilda (90), who has been registered blind for the last 23 years, left for their weekly Tuesday afternoon meeting at the club.

But the bash, complete with cake, candles and cards, in Falkirk Stadium caught his wife completely by surprise.

John said: “Hilda was absolutely delighted, and even though I knew what was coming I was too. It was brilliant and a really lovely thing for our friends at the club to do. It took our breath away.”

The family party on September 6 was just as unexpected because of all the arrangements that had to be made in secret to make it happen.

John, who met Hilda in Nottingham in June 1946 while he was serving with the RAF and married her in Carron Church on September 6, 1947, said: “We have three married sons, but Bryan is the only one living locally with his wife, Jane, and family. Johnny and Vicky are in West Yorkshire and Alan and Sheula in Kent.

“We keep in touch by phone most days, but because of the distances involved don’t see as much of them as we’d like, so when they announced a hotel had been booked in Wetherby and we were all getting together to celebrate our 70 years of marriage we were taken totally by surprise.

“It had to take a lot of work bringing everything together and we didn’t know anything about it until Johnny’s wife Vicky, who arranged it all, gave us the wonderful news.

“Everybody, including our six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren were there. They had even organised a white Rolls Royce to take us to the hotel for dinner and when we got there the red carpet had been rolled out. Hilda and I had a marvellous time. It was a lovely surprise.”

John and Hilda, from Torridon Avenue, Bainsford, have enjoyed seven decades of married bliss - and are looking forward to even more happy years together.

John said: “The minute I set my eyes on Hilda that day I knew she was the girl for me. It really was love at first sight. She’s been great for me.”

And the secret of ‘married bliss?’ John has no doubts: “Never go to bed with a bad word and always give her a kiss goodnight!”