FORMER Queen's ceremonial bodyguard Bob Shergold and his wife Peggy will celebrate their diamond wedding anniversary today with friends and neighbours in Devizes.

The couple, who met in Hampshire where Mrs Shergold, 81, grew up thanks to Mr Shergold's fondness of Portsmouth Football Club, were married in her home town of Southsea on May 11, 1957.

Mr Shergold, 83, spent 34 years in the RAF and it was a posting to Colerne in 1962 that began their connection with Wiltshire. Originally they lived in Bristol but later moved to Calne and then to Devizes and Bishops Cannings.

After leaving the RAF Mr Shergold became a member of the Queen's Body Guard of the Yeomen of the Guard and wore his red and gold uniform with pride at many official royal engagements at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.

The oldest British military corps was originally created by Henry VII at the Battle of Bosworth but for Mr Shergold it was purely a ceremonial duty at garden parties and investitures.

The couple have two sons Ian and Mark and a daughter Karen as well as eight grandchildren and one great grandchild. After the tea party in the communal area of The Croft today the family will celebrate in Devizes on Saturday.

Both Mr and Mrs Shergold have been involved in a number of organisations in both Devizes and Bishops Cannings with Mrs Shergold being a long time member of Bishops Cannings WI and Mr Shergold a leading member of Devizes Royal British Legion and a former Akela of 3rd Devizes Cubs.

Mrs Shergold spent the early years of their marriage bringing up their children in various places dictated by her husband's RAF postings and later worked as an auxiliary nurse at Devizes Hospital and in several different shops.

Mr Shergold stays fit working on an allotment at Quakers Walk and still likes to cycle. Mrs Shergold said: "We are lucky that for our age we are both reasonably fit and can still get out and about together.

"Devizes has changed quite a bit since we moved here but it is still a lovely town."