TWO sisters celebrated their golden wedding anniversaries together — 50 years after tying the knot on the same day.
Shelia Pollard and Maureen Duxbury married their husbands, Graham and John, on October 25, 1969, at the same ceremony at Holy Souls RC Church in Brownhill.
Mrs Pollard was just 19 and Mrs Duxbury was 20, and they both linked arms with their father as they walked down the aisle.
Both sisters had been with their partners for roughly two years, with Mrs Pollard getting engaged on Christmas Eve 1968, and Mrs Duxbury the following Easter.
The happy couples celebrated 50 years of marriage with a party at Mytton Fold Hotel, surrounded by family and friends.
Mrs Pollard, who has three sons, three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, said both siblings liked the idea of getting married at the same time.
She said: “I think it was our father’s idea. We were both engaged and he suggested it and we all thought it was a good idea.
“We did everything in pairs, there were two cakes, two sets of bridesmaids, two best men. There were about 80 people there and it was a lovely day.
“Because my sister is a bit older than me she and her husband got married first, then we followed after.”
The joint wedding made front page news in the Lancashire Telegraph in 1969, then the Lancashire Evening Telegraph.
Despite sharing the same wedding day, they went on separate honeymoons, with Mr and Mrs Pollard heading to Morecambe and Mr and Mrs Duxbury going to the Lake District.
Mrs Pollard worked at Boots at the time of her marriage, and Mr Pollard as an engineer.
Mrs Duxbury was a clerk typist at the Blackburn Typewriter Company and Mr Duxbury worked as assistant production controller at Prestige Group in Blackburn. They have one daughter, Andrea, who - together with partner Chris - gave them two grandchildren, Jessie, 8, and Michael, 3.
To celebrate the anniversary, Mr and Mrs Pollard are going on a Mediterranean cruise.
Mrs Pollard said there are lots of ways to make a long, happy marriage. She said: “The key is to talk to one another. It’s best to open up and share things with each other, that way you can solve problems and become a stronger pair.”
The couples' celebration raised money for Rosemere Cancer Foundation and British Heart Foundation.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here