A devoted couple are still the apple of each other’s eye after 72 years of marriage.

George and Ada Lampitt, former fruit and vegetable stallholders on Dudley Market, celebrated their wedding anniversary yesterday.

George, who will be 93 next month, and wife Ada, 91, have eight children – Nancy, Malcolm, Jean, Cynthia, Don, Jenny, Susan and Michael – ranging in age from 46 to 70. The doting pair also have 19 grandchildren, 28 great grandchildren and four great great grandchildren.

The Lampitts’ stall, started by George’s mother Annie, has been a familiar sight opposite Boots the Chemist near the fountain in the town centre for more than 150 years. David Flavell, the son of eldest daughter Nancy, continues to run the thriving business, after it was passed on by son Michael. He took it on when his parents retired.

Mr and Mrs Lampitt met when they worked on neighbouring stalls at the age of 14.

Ada said: “I left school at 14 and started work on the top stall the day after. I had the second stall down from George.”

George soon welcomed his future wife into the Lampitt business after sweeping her off her feet. 

He did the same on the dance floor where the two loved to show off their ballroom dancing skills and entertain their friends.

George said: “People used to say ‘oh look, there’s Twinkletoes’ because we did so much dancing. We used to dance till about 3am on holiday and the band would always say ‘make this one the last’.”

George and Ada tied the knot in 1936 at at St Francis Church, on the Priory Estate.

But George was soon parted from Ada for seven years as he took up service with the South East Asia Command. He was awarded the Burma Star and India Star.

He recalled on his return Ada’s first words to him were: “How bin yer?”

The couple liked to go to Royal Ascot every year and even had tea with Prince Charles at his Highgrove home in 1996. They say the secret of their success is working together. “Life is how you make it. We made ours happy,” added George.