A Whitchurch couple are celebrating after reaching their 70th wedding anniversary.

Les, 94, and Joan Haller, 89, celebrated their platinum anniversary on September 28, seven decades after eloping to Scotland in 1954.

The couple, who have lived in Whitchurch all their adult lives, celebrated with their family this weekend – including their four children, Pat, Christine, Tony and Andrew, four grandchildren Debbie, George, Edward and Arabella – as well as their three great-grandchildren.

“It’s really good, I can’t believe it,” said Joan. “We met while I was working at Goodwin’s Dairy. I was a housekeeper and Les was in the cheese dairy. He started work a few weeks after I did and that’s how we met up.

Joan and Les early in their marriageJoan and Les early in their marriage (Image: Andy Haller)

“It was someone that my husband knew and she had told him that she had found a nice girlfriend for him.

"He’d recently come out of the army that’s how we met up, we started going out and went to the pictures and that was it."

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After a couple of years Les and Joan wanted to marry, but unfortunately there was a block.

So they decided to take the bold decision to sell everything they owned and buy two coach tickets from Shearlings Salopia and bravely eloped from Whitchurch to Glasgow to be married.

When asked what the secret to their successful marriage was Joan said: “I suppose we have just helped each other and just got along.”

Les and Joan have celebrated the special milestone by celebrating with their family and even received a letter from the King.

“We had a family get together yesterday at the Sun Inn in Welshampton,” said Joan. “I think there was 21 of us that’s with the children and great grandchildren.

“On the actual day our son Andrew took us for a meal as he said ‘you have to do something on the actual day’ so he took us out for a meal with his wife and daughter.”