A TILLICOULTRY couple celebrated their blue sapphire wedding anniversary recently.

Janet and Jim Hunter, 84 and 86, have now been married for 65 years and shared the secret to a long-lasting marriage.

The couple, who have lived in the Hillfoots town for nearly 50 years, had four children, around 15 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren in the past six-and-a-half decades.

Originally a Coalsnaughton lad, Jim used to work in the pits and met Fife lass Janet, a secretary originally from Leith, at a dance in the village of Steelend.

They tied the knot around a year-and-a-half after, on April 28, 1951 at a registry office wedding in Cupar, Fife.

In the company of friends and family, they recently celebrated the occasion with a meal and get-together at the Harviestoun Inn.

Janet explained “the secret” to the Advertiser: “Give and take. And just help each other, which we are doing more than ever now.”

Jim and Janet said some of the best memories included their holidays, with Janet adding: “When our first grandchild was born, I think that brought great excitement.”