A DIAMOND couple from Basingstoke has celebrated 60 years and spoken of their decades of happy marriage. 

On March 25, family and friends of Peter and Hilary Smith celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary, where the couple first got married at New Farm Chapel in Alresford. 

The couple has been residents in Basingstoke since their wedding day on March 30 in 1963.

Peter has been a dental technician for the past six decades and still continues his role, although now part-time.

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Hilary explained that during their marriage they have experienced both "good times and difficult times together as most families do".

She said: "At our wedding, we covenanted to honour, love and care for each other by serving each other which has brought peace to our home.

"The secret of a happy marriage comes to us by living according to God's Will as practising Christians.

"We both trust Jesus Christ as our living model and guide, as a result, we have been blessed with long life."

Peter and Hilary were 26 and 18 when they tied the knot, and are now 86 and 78 years old. 

Alan Wearring-Smith, 57, the couple's eldest son, said: "To have reached this milestone naturally delights my siblings, Adrian, Heather, Hannah, and me. They have remained loyal and faithful to one another, working hard to serve one another, through the joys and trials of life.

"Both my parents keep active with the family, enjoying their status as parents of four, grandparents of 14 and great-grandparents of two."