West Meads couple celebrate diamond anniversary

George and Iris Nichols marked the diamond anniversary of their wedding with a visit to Chichester Festival Theatre to see Oklahoma with their son and daughter.

The special outing on August 27, the day of their anniversary, followed a family celebration the previous Saturday when their five grandchildren were also present. Their best man, Mr Nichols' cousin, Vic Cuff, was among the guests as well.

Mr Nichols said: "The 60 years have flown by. They have been great. Our family are our legacy. We are so proud of them. None of them has put a foot wrong."

Mrs Nichols added: "I feel privileged and blessed. We've loved each other all those years.

"If you do that, you can get through anything."

The couple, both 83, met as six-year-olds when they began to sit in the same class in an infants' school in Bethnal Green in East London where they grew up.

It was not until some ten years later the couple started to go out with each other.

They were keen dancers and excelled on the dance floor by winning many competitions.

They were married in Bethnal Green. They still have the newspaper cutting of their big day which reports Mrs Nichols wore a dress of white satin with a full train and a headdress of orange blossom.

She still has the size eight dress and Mr Nichols still possesses his wedding tie.

The blue diamond-patterned neckgear cost him 12s 6d (65p) out of his weekly wage of 7.

The couple's love survived Mr Nichols serving in the Royal Navy during the second world war.

The couple were living in a council house in Merstham in Surrey but Mrs Nichols had dreamed about living at the seaside.

They saw the West Meads estate was being built and have been the only occupiers of the Blenheim Court bungalow they moved into during October 1965.

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