Pakefield couple mark diamond milestone

Diamond Wedding couple Pam and Norman Best from Pakefield. Picture: supplied (Image: Archant © 2017)

Pam and Norman Best marked 60 years of marriage today, and will be celebrating with family and friends this weekend.

The couple, who were both born and raised in Kilburn in London, met at a charity dance for Scouts.

They courted for three years, with Mrs Best's father telling her she had to complete her nursing training before she got married.

They tied the knot on July 6, 1957, at St John's Wood Church, and spent their honeymoon in the Isle of Wight.

After three years living together as a married couple in Kilburn, they moved to Wickford in Essex where they spent 30 years before their move to Pakefield 23 years ago.

'We went for a walk in Pakefield one Christmas morning when we were staying with our son and saw the for sale sign in the garden,' said Mrs Best.

'We arranged a viewing and as soon as we walked in the front door we said 'this is it' and we wanted to buy it.

'Everything just fell into place, it was meant to be.'

Mrs Best worked all her life as a nurse, after training at Hammersmith Hospital. She moved on to Westminster Children's Hospital and then St Andrew's in Billericay, where she worked as a theatre nurse.

After moving to Suffolk, she continued working at two nursing homes, before retiring in her 70s.

Mr Best worked as a builders estimator in London, before continuing his work in Essex and then moving back to Dulwich.

Together the couple have three sons and one daughter, as well as nine grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Their hobbies include gardening, with Mr Best tending to an allotment at Pakefield Church until last year. Mrs Best also enjoys time on her computer, while Mr Best loves football and cricket.

The couple will be marking their milestone with a meal at The Jolly Sailors in Pakefield on Saturday and will be visited by all their grandchildren later this month.