A couple is marking 65 years of marriage - but 71 years of love and commitment

Glanville and Jean Magor of Bridport married on July 17, 1954, but first had to endure a six-year engagement.

This was a commitment Glanville - who used to tour the Wessex area with his Punch and Judy shows - had to make if he wanted to become a minister.

He said: “I was ordained 65 years ago [on July 11] in the Methodist ministry. When I offered for the ministry, we had to promise to remain single and celibate for seven years, which was later changed to six.

“We got engaged in 1948 and married on July 17, 1954.”

The pair met in Rivercourt Methodist Church in west London, where they would later marry.

Jean said: “I was in his youth club at Rivercourt Church and I was one of the junior leaders. I was around 16 or 17-years-old, but 22 when I was married as he had to wait and could not marry as he was going to be a minister.”

The couple moved to Dorset 30 years ago, but before that had an exciting life working in other countries and across the UK.

Glenville added: “We went overseas when I was ordained to South Africa where I was a lecturer in a college, after that I moved to Freetown in Sierra Leone and for 10 years was head of RE in the Teacher’s College. Surprisingly, for three years I was head of art and science as well and that’s unusual.”

Glenville and Jean welcomed two children, Elaine - who was born in South Africa - and Christopher, who was born in Sierra Leone.

As the children got older, they decided to come back to England, where Glenville worked at various churches before retiring to Bridport.

Jean said that the highlight of their marriage had been the birth of their children and the secret was ‘Don’t fall out with each other’.

“We loved each other at the start and we still love each other at the end,” she added.