Couple celebrate diamond wedding '“ and a birthday

Sixty years has passed since George Baxter married his sweetheart Shirley on her 21st birthday at St Luke’s Church in the village on March 31, 1956. The pair met at a Primrose Hall dance in Horbury in 1953.

Mrs Baxter, 81, of Ridge Crescent, said: “I can’t believe how 60 years have gone by. I look back and think ‘where’ has it gone?’ The years pass and you do your best.”

Mr and Mrs Baxter spent their honeymoon in Scarborough over the 1956 Easter holiday and moved in with Shirley’s parents for a short time.

In 1963, Mrs Baxter gave birth to their first child, Jill, and their son Robert was born in 1965.

Mr Baxter worked at Denby Grange Coal Colliery for 20 years before taking early retirement, while Mrs Baxter was a weaver in Coxley Mill.

The pair have enjoyed many holidays in Weymouth and Eastborne over the years, and have done plenty of caravanning at car rallies – vintage motors are Mr Baxter’s big passion.

But they have always remained close to home. Mrs Baxter said: “I’ve always lived in Middlestown, all my life. It’s a nice little village. It’s grown over the years. I’ve never wanted to live anywhere else.”

They enjoyed a meal at the Reindeer Inn in Overton with family and friends to celebrate.