A FORMER mayor and mayoress of Darlington celebrated 50 years of marriage this weekend.
Joe Anderson, 74, and wife Margaret, 76, met in the early Fifties when they were both working in London. They married there in 1953 but returned to their North-East roots in 1961.
Mr Anderson, a former railwayman, was voted in as a Darlington Labour councillor in 1971 and served as mayor from 1985 to 1986. He retired the year after to look after his wife when she had two hip operations. The couple have a daughter, Fiona, 41, who lives in Australia with her husband and children, Rebecca, 15, and Stephen, 11.
A planned trip to Australia to celebrate their golden wedding had to be postponed after Mr Anderson underwent heart surgery.
He said: "It's been the loveliest time of my life being married to Margaret. You couldn't ask for a better partnership.
"When I was poorly I was determined we'd make it to 50 years. It's what got me through."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article