Melksham couple John and Barbara Harris are planning a quiet day in together to celebrate their golden anniversary today.

The couple, who now live on Barnwell Road, have been in the town since they married 50 years ago, but don’t like to make a big fuss about their special day.

Mr Harris said: “We don’t normally do anything special, we just like to spend it together.”

Mr Harris was born in Melksham, and met his future wife, who lived in Neston, on a blind date arranged by a work colleague.

He said: “We went for a walk around town and we’ve been together ever since. I didn’t need to propose, we knew we wanted to get married, so we had a chat and off we went.”

The couple were married at St Andrew’s Church in 1964, when Mr Harris worked on the railways, and Mrs Harris at a plastics manufacturing firm in Corsham.

They enjoy experiencing the great outdoors, and would often go fishing together at different locations around the county, with Steeple Ashton a firm favourite.

Mr Harris, a keen supporter of Melksham Town, said their happy marriage was down to taking time to do things apart.

“I started going to the football with my late father in 1949, and I still go to watch Melksham play now,” he said.

“When we go out walking as a couple we can still have barneys like any couple, when I want to go one place and she wants to go the other, but we always settle things in the end.”