Mary and John Clarke, from Newport, have celebrated 70 years as husband and wife.

They enjoyed a party held at Avondale, the sheltered housing scheme run by The Abbeyfield Society where they are both living.

Mary, 90, and John, 95, were joined by friends, family and staff to enjoy a buffet and a special platinum anniversary cake, made by housekeeper Lynn Walsh.

The couple met purely by chance in 1953 at a dance hall in Ryde.

John went to hang up his coat in the cloakroom where Mary was working that evening, and they have both described the moment that they set eyes on each other as love at first sight.

The relationship blossomed, culminating in John proposing to Mary, and they were married in Nottingham in March 1954, which they cite as their most romantic moment.

Mary and John have made lots of happy memories since, and together they have raised their three sons, Paul, John and Alun.

John had a successful engineering career, retiring in 2002.

In April 2015, the couple moved to the Isle of Wight, where Mary is from. They have lived at Avondale since June 2023.

Mary and John said the secret to their long relationship is “happiness, understanding each other, and having both common and separate interests.”