Celebrating 60 years of marriage for couple who met at bus stop

The loved-up pair met at a bus stop before going to a dance hall together.

Elizabeth, known as “Betty”, now 78, was just 18 when she married Henry at a register office.

They went on to have three children together, Harry, 59, Christine, 57, and Avril, 52, raising them in the Hill View area of Sunderland.

Both worked at Brian Mills mail order depot in Hendon, with Henry, now 81, also working as a porter at Sunderland Eye Infirmary before retirement.

Avril told the Echo: “They first met at a bus stop and got to know each other from there.

“The rest is history I suppose.”

Staff at Sycamore Lodge care centre, in Nookside, where Henry has lived since last year, put on a party for friends and family to come and celebrate the milestone occasion.

“It’s been a lovely day for them,” added Avril.

“They’ve had a great time seeing everyone and making the most of it.

“They’ve really enjoyed themselves.”

As well as their three children, Henry and Betty have a total of eight grandchildren and six great grandchildren.

Peter Lovegrove, activities co-ordinator at Sycamore Lodge, said: “They’ve had a lot of family here to see them and everyone’s had a great day.

“With it being half-term a lot of their grandkids and great-grandchildren have managed to come along, which has made things even better.”