AN OLDSWINFORD Légion d'Honneur recipient said he is very lucky to have celebrated his recent 65th wedding anniversary.

Joseph Bullock, 91, married his sweetheart Jean (nee Fox), 88, at St Thomas’s Church in Stourbridge on September 29, 1951, marking 65 years of marriage surrounded by friends and family last week.

The couple first met during a dance at The Old White Horse, in Stourbridge, leading to the start of a long romance.

Joseph said: “We used to go dancing quite a lot and it was one of the main things that brought us together.

“At the start of our relationship we would also ride around on a tandem bicycle that we had. We would go everywhere on it.

“We were given a 65th anniversary card with a tandem bike on which we thought was really lovely and brought back a lot of nice memories.

“I think you just have to be lucky to be together for 65 years. We are lucky that we have found each other, but if I knew the secret to a successful marriage I would write a book on it and be rich.”

Living their whole lives around the town, Joseph and Jean have four children together, Andrew, Rosemary, Carolyn and James, as well as six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren, with whom they celebrated their anniversary.

Joseph added: “It was a very special day for us, we went to have lunch with the family at my son’s house, and as a very close family we just love to spend time with each other.

“I am very proud to have such a good family who do so much to help each other, and they do look after us pretty well.”

The duo have had a variety of jobs during their time together, Joseph was in the Navy during the war before becoming a carpenter, and he also spent time funeral directors. Jean was a head clerk before leaving work to look after the couple’s children.

Rosemary Scriven, one of Joseph and Jean’s daughters, said: “They are fantastic people as well as parents.

“Dad is brilliant. He’s 91 but you would never know by looking at him. He is still very active and fit, he still goes off to play bowls at Stourbridge Park.

“He also does so much to look after mum. She’s not as well as he is and requires a wheelchair, but dad has always looked after her.

“They are so family orientated. They love their family and having us around them. They’ve always been supportive to us as we have grown up.

“Their relationship is all about a good sense of humour. They love doing things for each other and really are best friends.”