
Tameside couple Leslie and Joan Harrop are set to celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary this week.
The couple, who are now 93 and 89, met almost 72 years ago at the Stalybridge Labour Club where Leslie was the chairman at the time.
Marrying in 1953, Leslie and Joan enjoyed a small and intimate wedding with a guest list of 13 people.
The ceremony began at 10am and was held at Crescent Road Congregational Church in Dukinfield which they both attended regularly.
Afterwards, they enjoyed a reception and lunch at Trough House in Audenshaw. On the same day, the newly-wed couple decided to get on a train to Southport for their honeymoon.
Leslie and Joan on their wedding day
However, due to their financial situation at the time, they only spent two days there, but Joan comments: “That was enough in those days.”
As they celebrate their platinum anniversary on Friday (9 June), Joan told us the secret to a happy marriage.
“The secret is love. We love each other and we both have faith.”
Reflecting on the past, Joan said: “The world’s gone backwards; but there’s lots of improvements thanks to technology.”
Read more from the Tameside Reporter
Click here for more of the latest news
Click here to read the latest edition of the paper online
Click here to find out where you can pick up a copy of the paper