A REDLYNCH couple who met while at school in Downton will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary tomorrow.

Pat and Les Sainsbury met at the age of 15 at the former Downton Secondary School.

They married at the council offices in Bourne Hill on June 27, 1964.

Mrs Sainsbury said: “It was brilliant sunshine on our wedding day; it was a lovely day.”

Mr Sainsbury, 68, worked for Downer and Bailey building company and later Mouldings, while Mrs Sainsbury, 69, worked as a cashier at the Cadena Cafe in Blue Boar Row, Salisbury, and then in an office at a bacon factory in Downton.

She then worked at Exeter House School as a cook for many years before becoming a carer at a home in Woodfalls.

Mr and Mrs Sainsbury are both officially retired but they still work for local families, Mr Sainsbury as a gardener and his wife as a carer.

The couple have spent the last 12 years travelling the world and they now enjoy holidays to Swanage with their two rescue dogs.

They have two sons, Justin and Jody, and two grandchildren.

“The guide to a happy marriage is to keep smiling,” said Mrs Sainsbury.

The couple are spending their special day on holiday in Swanage.