A COUPLE described as Tweedledum and Tweedledee after a lifetime “totally devoted” to each other celebrate their diamond wedding anniversary today.

Eric Richens, 82, and his wife Jeanne, 81, met by chance at a dance in a community hall in Hollow Way, Cowley, in 1954.

Looking back on their first encounter more than 60 years ago, Mrs Richens, née Barney, said: “The first time we met he said it was love at first sight and I thought the same, to be honest.

“I was actually having a dance with his cousin and Eric came and excused us.

“His cousin then went home and told his mum Eric had stolen his girlfriend. I had only known him for 10 minutes.”

Mr Richens – described by his daughter Pauline Beevor as a bit of a romantic – went on to propose to his future wife on the top deck of a bus crossing Magdalen Bridge.

The couple were married at St James Church in Cowley in 1956 before moving into their first home together in Littlemore.

They stayed there for the next 20 years while bringing up their daughter Mrs Beevor, 59, and son Neil Richens, 55.

The couple worked at the Cowley car plant over the years before setting up the family business ES Richens & Son Ltd in Windmill Road.

For nearly 35 years it sold and repaired electric wheelchairs and scooters before the building was struck by lightning in 2006 and burned down.

Following retirement in their mid-50s, the pair took to the road to tour the world by campervan and travelled to countries as far afield as America and Australia.

Mrs Beevor said: “They have always been active, travelling the world and always setting up parties.

“They did a round-the-world trip on their 40th anniversary, which took them to Australia, America and Hawaii. They are very dedicated and totally devoted to each other.

“They are like Tweedledum and Tweedledee.”

Mr Richens, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease 17 years ago, now lives at Iffley Nursing Home.

Nearly every day Mrs Richens, who lives in Wheatley, visits her husband.

Nursing home manager Sue Stubberfield said: “They are a very devoted couple and since July 2014 when Eric came here Jeanne comes in nearly every day.”

The pair plan to celebrate the milestone at the Prince of Wales pub in Iffley with a small gathering of close family and friends.

Mrs Richens said the secret to a long happy marriage is fairness.

“We give and take. There is this fairness and we hardly ever row.

“It has been a super 60 years.

“Eric is a lovely man.”