Party surprise for Angmering diamond couple

The loving pair thought they were being treated to a quiet meal out by their daughter, Suzanne.

However, when she made an excuse to return to the couple’s home, in The Leas, they were shocked to see a room packed with family, friends, balloons and delectable party treats.

Tom, 92, said: “We didn’t know anything like this was going to happen. It was amazing to see everybody when we walked through the doors.”

The couple, whose anniversary was on Thursday, had already received a letter from the Queen congratulating them on their achievement but the surprise party was described as the “icing on the cake” by Joan, 79.

They met while working at Wandsworth Council and it was love at first sight, leading to their marriage at Earlsfield Congregational Church on August 11, 1951.

Joan and Tom have two daughters, four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Eldest daughter, Jane Saunders, 56, from Epsom, who was celebrating her own 38th wedding anniversary on Thursday, described them as the “best parents” she could have wished for.

She said: “My dad is a very gregarious man and is extremely socially and politically aware.

“My mum used to be very glamorous and was extraordinarily beautiful when she was younger.

“They are both the most generous and genuinely kind and loving people who remain the focal point of our entire family.”

Jane and her sister Suzanne, 54, of Angmering Way, Angmering, recalled Christmas family meals, near Clapham Junction during the early 1960s before they moved to Angmering in 1966.

Suzanne said: “Mum and dad used to pay for a homeless person to sit with us and have a meal.

“They were very charitable. For about a decade they helped to run a scheme that took a large group of 60 or so elderly people away to a holiday camp.”

The couple’s grand-daughter, Jade, also celebrated her 31st birthday on Friday.

Asked about the secret to a long and happy marriage, Tom, who was a Captain in the Royal Engineers during the Second World War, said: “There isn’t one. We just love each other. It’s been 60 years of bliss together.”