Couple marks marriage milestone
A couple who met at a Christmas dance were today celebrating their sapphire wedding anniversary.
Derek and Phyllis Mason, both aged 83, from West Bromwich, were married at St Francis Church, Wednesbury, in 1956.
They first met at a Christmas dance at Friar Park Community Centre in 1954 when they both lived at Wednesbury and put the secret to a happy married life down to “give and take”.
Derek, who was a coach painter when they met, said Phyllis had worked as an assistant in a grocery shop and his tip was to “love one another”.
Phyllis said: “I didn’t like him at first as he was a bit of tease but then he asked me to dance.
“I celebrated my eighteenth birthday the day before our wedding and six weeks afterwards Derek had to go away to do National Service.
“He was stationed in Honiton in Devon and then in Wales.”
Phyllis remembers their wedding day well with “the weather dry with no snow”.
Derek said: “We could not afford a honeymoon and went to live with my mother until six years later when we bought our own home in West Bromwich.”
The couple went on to have two children, now Julia Wentworth and Carol Gillen, five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
They said they were looking forward to a celebration at home and having an online meeting with members of their family.
