Stillington couple John and Betty Denton celebrate 65 years

The couple grew up together in Stillington and were always friendly in school, but it wasn’t until after they graduated that the pair connected.

John, 88, said: “Back when I was doing national service, Betty was training to be a nurse. One weekend when I was on leave, I saw Betty was home at the same time.

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“I was always a bit scared of her mum, but I went up the village and knocked on her door and Betty came out, so we went for a walk around the village. After that, she sent me a photograph of herself to stick on my locker like all the other boys had of their girlfriends.”

He continued: “At a fairly early stage when we were an item, I remember taking Betty on a motorbike to a dance and she was a bit sick, because she got oil all over her nylons!”

The couple’s relationship blossomed over that time with the two wed on 15th of August 1959 at St Nicholas Church in Stillington and held their wedding party at Stilington Village Hall.

At the time, Betty, now 86, was newly qualified as a nurse at York County Hospital and John was a student at Loughborough University, studying engineering workshop theory and practice – woodwork, metalwork, technical drawing – before qualifying as a teacher and taking up a job in Barlby, just north of Selby.

The couple then welcomed their daughter Celia in 1965. A few years later, in 1969, the young family moved to Surrey Docks in South London where John accepted a job working with a charity in the area overseeing a youth centre and organising activities. 

John and Betty at the Yorkshire Vineyard at Nun Monkton (Image: Provided)

During that time, Betty worked in the healthcare sector in various roles – acting as both a school nurse and a health visitor amongst other jobs – and a researcher at Queen Mary’s Hospital where she co-authored an academic paper. She also sat as a Liberal Democrat councillor on Southwark Council.

In 1992, John took early retirement, and the family moved back to Stillington and settled back down in the place that brought them together in the first place.

On what keeps their relationship strong, John said: “Betty is the administrator, I modify the house, fix the cars. We’ve got a good division of labour - now when we’re retired, even more so.”

To celebrate their anniversary, the couple plan to throw a party in Stillington Village Hall – the same place that they celebrated both their wedding and their 50th anniversary, the latter ending in evacuation when a hand dryer caught fire and forced partygoers to wait outside for the fire brigade. They hope this time is less eventful.

In celebration of their milestone anniversary, they received a message of congratulations from the King and Queen, which will be displayed alongside their Diamond Anniversary message from the late Queen in 2019.