A DEVOTED couple have just celebrated their diamond wedding after first meeting at a dance in Corsham in the early 1950s.

Charles and Thelma Ralph, of Williams Grove, began their romance after locking eyes across the dance floor at the old Corsham Community Centre in 1952.

Now both in their eighties, the couple have built up a strong family with three children, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Mr Ralph, 85, said: “At those dances I remember you had all the girls on one side and the guys on the other.

“All the men would pick the women they wanted to dance with and I definitely picked the right one.

“I was only 18 when we met and she was the single and only love of my life. We still love each other just as much now.”

Mr Ralph moved in to live with his future wife’s family after personal problems with his step mother.

The couple were married in 1956 at St Bartholomew’s in Corsham.

Mr Ralph added: “We were well known in those days and there was quite a crowd when we got married. We must have had about 70 or 80 people turn out.

“We then had the reception in the Royal Oak, which is still there. We had our first baby after about 18 months of marriage.

“This anniversary was only a quiet affair. At our 50th we had the whole family there but the family has grown even since then.”

Mrs Ralph, 82, said: “We have our ups and downs but it has been fantastic. We love our three children, Tina, Amanda and Peter. We have never had any trouble from them.

“Most anniversaries we usually go out for a meal and do something a bit quieter. I do not like all the people about so much.

“We used to go abroad every year for ten years on a bus but then it stopped. We would go to places like Spain, Italy and France.

“It was so lovely. The children have all turned out brilliantly. They were all perfect and excellent to be with.”