A FORMER mayor of Basingstoke and a town librarian are celebrating their diamond wedding anniversary this month.

Teenage sweethearts Lynden Jones and Pamela Jones married on Easter Saturday, April 16, 1960, at Porthkerry Methodist Church, Barry, South Wales.

The couple, who were 24 and 23 at the time, moved to Burton-on-Trent then Hounslow before settling in Basingstoke.

Mr Jones, now 84, was the head teacher of St Thomas' School for the Deaf in Darlington Road until it closed in 1985.

He served as a councillor for the ward of Brookvale, worked as a local preacher and represented the town as mayor.

Pamela, meanwhile, worked in a variety of jobs herself, from being a librarian and doctor’s receptionist to becoming a registrar.

Daughter Nicky Hicken said: "They like to joke that they went into the church it was grey and drizzly but as they emerged at the end of the wedding, the sun burst through the clouds to welcome them as they started married life together.

"They were both born in Barry, South Glamorgan, and were teenage sweethearts. They went on honeymoon to Southern Ireland and this was mum’s first time on a plane."

The loved-up couple still live in Basingstoke near St Thomas’s Nursing Home in South View, where Lynden worked as a headteacher before the school closed.

The couple had planned a celebration for their wedding anniversary at Viables Community Centre but due to the Covid-19 virus, these plans have been cancelled.

Both have attended Trinity Methodist Church in Sarum Hill since 1976 and look forward to seeing their friends to celebrate, once restrictions are lifted.

Nicky added: "Our whole family want to say how very proud they are of them and wish them health and happiness. We are looking forward to the day we can celebrate their wonderful milestone."