A TILLICOULTRY couple have been celebrating their golden year.

Surrounded by friends and family, Bob (73) and Liz (72) McQueen marked 50 happy years of marriage with a gathering at Crieff Hydro.

They credit trust, communication and shared values as having helped the longevity of their union.

Bob said, “I think we have always tried to have and develop open communication and trust in each other and I think that, combined with our faith, has been very worthwhile for us in developing the strength of our marriage.” The couple first met at Stirling Royal Infirmary when Liz was a staff nurse and Bob a volunteer with the British Red Cross.

They married in Alva Baptist Church just over 18 months after their first date, which was in a restaurant at the old Regal Cinema in Stirling.

Initially they settled in Alva, where Bob worked on the family farm, but later moved to Dundee.

Throughout his working life Bob also sold cars in Stirling, was involved in social work, mental health services and social services.

Liz worked as a staff nurse and later studied to become a community staff nurse. It was in 1986 they moved to Tillicoultry, where they have been ever since, and both are now heavily involved in volunteering with Diabetes Scotland.

And Bob and Liz – who have children, Stuart, David and Kay, and four grandchildren – have been lucky enough to enjoy shared interests.

“We have always been very involved in work with the baptist churches wherever we stayed, with a particular interest in music, it’s an interest we share. I have played and also led choirs and small bands over the years with the baptist church,” Bob said.

Bob added that the gathering was an opportunity for family and friends to get together and chat about the past.