An Isle of Wight couple are celebrating their Blue Sapphire wedding anniversary, marking 65 years of marriage.
Ray and Gwen Felton, who live in Blackwater, met at a barbecue on West Wittering beach, Hayling Island on August 8, 1958.
At the time, Ray was serving in the Royal Air Force at Thorney Island and Gwen, who is from the Island, was a nurse at St Richard’s Hospital, Chichester.
The couple previously lived in East Anglia, Wiltshire, Shropshire and in Singapore, when Ray worked as a Royal Air Force Navigator.
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They married on June 4, 1960 at Quay Street Methodist Church, Newport, where they still worship to this day.
Gwen served on the church council for several years and as senior steward, and Ray still volunteers as a preacher.
The couple permanently moved to the Isle of Wight in 1968.
After leaving the Royal Air Force, Ray began a teaching career at both Nodehill Middle School and the Newport CE Middle School, where he was deputy headmaster until his retirement in 1995.
Gwen left nursing to raise the couple's three children and worked at the Unitarian Playgroup in Newport.
She was also a leader with 7th Newport Cub Scout Group.
For many years, Ray volunteered with Action for Hearing Loss and served for 14 years with 1024 Squadron Air Training Corps while running the Isle of Wight Council Cycling Proficiency Scheme for 21 years.
The couple have three children, five grandchildren and one great granddaughter.
