A couple are hoping for an unusual gift for their diamond wedding anniversary today – the arrival of their fourth great-grandchild.

Geoff Hince, 89, and his wife Mavis, of Morstone Road, Wootton Bassett, are hoping that Alison Hince, wife of their grandson Christopher, will give birth today, her due date.

“I’m keeping my fingers crossed,” said Mrs Hince, whose 80th birthday was on Tuesday. “It would be lovely. ”

The couple met in unusual circumstances in the mid-1940s – all the result of the custom of factory girls of writing their names and numbers in the top of jam jars and other preserves.

Mrs Hince said: “My sister Muriel used to work for Co-Op Preserving Works in Reading.

“The girls there used to put their names and numbers in the top of the lids.

“Geoff’s mother bought a jar of jam and Geoff saw my sister’s name on it and decided to write.

“But my sister was engaged so I wrote back and it carried on from there.”

Six decades on, love still blooms for the couple, who worked as caretakers and cleaners at County Infants’ School for 24 years.

They had three sons; Allan, who died from cancer three years ago, Steven and Andrew. They also have five grandchildren, three great-grandchildren and the one on the way.

The story of how the couple met was recorded in the Co-Op’s business magazine back in 1951, of which the Hinces still have copies.

Mrs Mavis said: “Geoff and I have got a great relationship.

“We’ve never rowed; we’ve had differences of opinions but we’ve never had a stand-up argument.

“We pull together and respect each other.

“We’ve got our own opinion but it’s about respecting what your partner has to say.”

The couple, who moved to Wiltshire 53 years ago, are celebrating their anniversary with 20 family and 20 friends at The Sally Pussey Inn near Wootton Bassett on Saturday.