LOVE blossomed at a youth club for golden wedding couple Dave and Gill Ricketts.

The couple, who are celebrating their 50th anniversary today, met in their teens at the local youth club in Whaddon and have been together ever since. They married four years later, when Mrs Ricketts was 19, at West Grimstead Church.

Mrs Ricketts, 69, worked in the office of Silk Ltd, a leather shop in Winchester Street, Salisbury, for 21 years before leaving to give birth to their daughter, Sara-Jane. She returned to work when her daughter was five and spent 15 years working for B&M Windows and Doors Ltd until retiring in December.

Mr Ricketts, 73, worked for Southern Electric for 27 years, starting in street lighting before going on to work in deliveries. He then worked at Salisbury District Hospital, looking after the site for ten years before retiring a few years ago.

The couple have always stayed close to the area they grew up in. A few years after they were married they moved to South Newton for 17 years before they got the opportunity to build their own home in Alderbury, where they have lived for 25 years.

Since retiring they have been enjoying hobbies, such as gardening, photography, cooking, reading and taking holidays together. They love spending time with their family, especially their 16-month-old grandson Eithan, who Gill says is the “light of our life”.

Plans for their special day including seeing friends and having lunch with their daughter.

Mr Ricketts said the secret to a long and happy marriage is “patience, give and take and being content with what you’ve got”.

Mrs Ricketts added: “We are really lucky. We’ve been very fortunate with our life and we do appreciate it. We count our blessings a lot.”