Leighton-Linslade couple celebrate diamond wedding anniversary

Winston Forde and his wife, Gloria, marked their special milestone on Tuesday, August 25, and were thrilled to receive a card from His Majesty King Charles III and Queen Camilla.

The couple were married at Sheffield Register Office in 1966, followed by a church ceremony in London in January 1967.

Reflecting on six decades, Winston said: "Who would have imagined that a Leo man and a pukka Virgo woman could cling to each other for a lifetime?

"We have nurtured such an amazing family possessing a rich mix of personalities, talent, knowledge and disciplines."

Winston and Gloria both grew up in Sierra Leone and first met at school in Freetown when they were around 12 years old.

Winston used to write letters to Gloria – as was customary for young men at the time – and soon won her affections.

He remembered: "Her mother used to call me 'Doctor's Mixture' – back then, you took your medicine, one tablespoon three times a day. Well, I was round her house morning, noon, and night!"

The couple briefly separated after travelling to England to pursue their careers – Winston went to college at RAF Cranwell, Lincolnshire, in 1960, whilst Gloria went to study at Leeds College of Commerce in 1962.

But whilst posted to Aden in the Middle East, Winston reached out to Gloria back in Yorkshire.

He smiled: "I had this urge to reconnect and I sent her a letter to her last known address, which was forwarded.

"The first letter she sent me was about a paragraph long – and by the time she had received three or four letters from me, at 20 pages, she found herself writing long letters.

"We published these letters in a book – From Aden to Bliss. I don't know how I got her to say yes to that!"

In 1979 Winston bought a house on Bideford Green as a serving Squadron Leader in the Royal Air Force.

The couple later moved to central Linslade in 1986.

Winston said: "Over the years, my wife and I have served as town councillors – I acted as the deputy leader of the Conservative group – and I went on to be a district councillor, then served on the new unitary authority of South Bedfordshire.

"I also sang in the choir at St Barnabas Church for some fifteen years, was on the PC and Synod, and was also a member of the Linslade Singers, The Writing Room, and participated in Freemasonry."

Gloria's first job was as an accountant for RAF Rheindahlen, Germany, and later worked for Rediffusion and the Retail Motor Industry Federation.

Meanwhile, the couple are both published authors – Winston has written several titles and runs The WLTF Literary Agency, while Gloria has penned her autobiography, Maroon Town Girl.

Winston was "in uniform for shy of fifty years" in the RAF, RAuxAF and RAFA, managing 28 air cadet squadrons in Surrey.

Reflecting on what makes a successful marriage, he says it's "give and take" and remembers his teenage days fondly – "I just thought Gloria was gorgeous – not only her looks, but her general personality."

The couple have four children, eleven grandchildren, and four great grandchildren.

They celebrated Winston's 85th birthday, their diamond anniversary, and Gloria's upcoming 84th birthday at a family gathering in Haxby, Yorkshire.