Diamond Couple - Bill and Doreen

AS they approach 60 years of married life together, Bill and Doreen Bowyer still have a clear vision of what life is all about - and that's helping others.

The couple now live in Normandale, Bexhill, but for many years ran an optometrist's business in Mount Street, Battle.

And it was in the 1066 town where they made many friends and became involved in several charitable groups.

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Bill, 84, was a founder member of the Muffin Club in Battle, launched with the help of Ernie Trumble and with the aim of supporting other worthy institutions.

"For instance, if the Scouts needed new equipment we'd raise money to help them," said Bill. "Every year we raised at least 1,000."

Bill was also a freemason and is a former president of Battle Rotary Club. During their 17 years in the town, the couple lived in North Trade Road.

Doreen, 82, said: "We came to Sussex to retire, but it didn't quite work out like that.

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"Not only did Bill keep going with his optometry, but I helped him.

"And even when we moved to Bexhill 23 years ago, Bill helped out with domiciliary work at Goddard and Rogers, the opticians in Endwell Road."

Both Bill and Doreen are originally from London's East End - Bill from Custom House and Doreen from Plaistow.

During the Blitz of 1940 Doreen had the unpleasant experience of being trapped under rubble for several hours after a German bomb demolished her home.

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Bill was also bombed out by the Luftwaffe, and went on to train as a Royal Navy telegraphist at the shore-based TS Bounty beside the River Severn in Worcester.

He later saw service aboard a RN Patrol Service minesweeper operating out of Dover, and recalled being paid danger money of 1/6(7.5p) a day on top of his wage.

He and Doreen started going out together while he was on leave, and within four months he had proposed.

The couple were married on April 29, 1950, at the Ascension Church, Custom House E16.

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Having both been forced to finish school before they became teenagers because of the war, they worked hard to "climb the ladder".

Doreen, who had been apprenticed as a draper after evacuation to Essex, also worked for a short time sorting Government mail at the Foreign Office.

Bill became an optometrist and set up a business in Plaistow before the couple moved to Loughton in Essex and continued to work there.

They have no children, and eight years ago set up a charitable foundation in their own name to provide annual donations in support of local charities.

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"We've always enjoyed helping other people, and this will mean we can carry on doing so even when we're both gone," said Doreen.

Meanwhile, the couple exude a warmth and happiness that gives an instant clue to the longevity of their marriage.

"We do have disagreements, but the secret is to stay even-tempered while talking them through," said Doreen.

And Bill's explanation for them celebrating their Diamond Wedding anniversary?

"I forgot to read the small print", he laughed.