A COUPLE who met while dancing the waltz have celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary.

On Thursday, John and June Brown, of Parsons Mead, Abingdon, marked the diamond anniversary by buying themselves a joint gift of a new television, followed by lunch out.

The couple met at a dance in Mrs Brown’s home village of Slimbridge, in Gloucestershire.

Mrs Brown, 80, whose maiden name was Smith, said that Mr Brown, 86, who was originally from Newcastle upon Tyne, asked her to dance.

She said: “Of course, we then had the last waltz together.”

The couple married in St John’s Church in Slimbridge and moved to Abingdon 46 years ago, when Mr Brown became a teacher at Carswell School, in Bostock Road.

He later became the deputy headteacher at Cumnor Junior School, in Oxford Road, and Mrs Brown worked at the Hilton shoe shop, in Abingdon town centre.

In their spare time the couple enjoyed running, cycling, playing tennis and badminton, motorcycling and golf. They still play boules and golf together.

Mrs Brown said: “We try to keep all of our moving parts moving.

“I suppose we are quite good for our age.”

When asked to share the secret of their long marriage, Mrs Brown said: “My husband always tells people that it’s by letting the wife have her own way but I think it’s just share and share really.”

Mr and Mrs Brown also celebrated their anniversarywith a meal out with friends at the Four Pillars Hotel, in Marcham Road, Abingdon, last Saturday.

abingdon@oxfordmail.co.uk