Flowers from the petrol station are normally in order when you forget a birthday or anniversary.

Joyce and Raymond Waplington, however, had a family party.

Admittedly, the get-together in Gorleston was already organised - it was just 12 months late. The couple got their dates mixed up and thought they were celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary, when it turned out to be their 61st.

But not wanting to let a good time go to waste, they went ahead with their celebrations last Friday marking their Diamond Wedding, plus one, surrounded by family and friends.

'We didn't know until my granddaughter called us,' said Joyce, 83.

'My daughter wanted a copy of our marriage certificate but we couldn't find it. The next day, my granddaughter called and said, 'Nan, did you get married on a Sunday?' I said, 'No, it was a Saturday'. She told me that was last year, that we'd missed our 60th!

'We still had a lovely time though. We had a buffet at home and one of my sons arranged for a photo of all the family at Gorleston.

'They bought us a diamond rose bush and we had a beautiful cake.'

The couple came from Nottingham, where they met at 17.

Raymond, now 83, worked at Players cigarette factory before a career as a lino and carpet fitter took him all over the world, working in hotels as far flung as Israel, Saudi, and Nigeria.

They raised two sons, Tony and Paul, and their daughter, Susan and have four grandchildren, who often visit them at their home at Marle Court, Gorleston.

It was the holiday trade that brought them east to Norfolk.

'We had a guest house,' said Joyce. 'Raymond's brother ran one in Paget Road and we enjoyed it so much when we'd help him. We had Sea Haven in Gorleston for five years, then we went to Prince's Road in Great Yarmouth. It's a good job if you like talking to people.'

The couple have enjoyed holidays abroad but stay closer to home as 'we're getting older'.

They celebrated their 61st anniversary last Friday.