HAVING a sense of humour is top of the list for those looking for a long and happy marriage.

That’s the advice Evelyn gave as she celebrated 70 years of marriage with her husband John, who lives at Fairlawn care home on St Mary’s Road in Ferndown.

John surprised Evelyn with a bunch of flowers when she arrived at the care home before they sat down to enjoy a glass of bubbly and looked at their card from King Charles.

Later in the day, they were joined by their extended family and friends to toast the special occasion in one of the home’s lounges.

The couple first met while they were living in Southampton, as their families attended the same working men’s club on a Saturday night.

Romance quickly blossomed and they were engaged and married within six months of becoming a couple when Evelyn was 19 and John was 20.

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The couple later moved to Ferndown with their three children, Kelvin, Karen and Keith, for John’s work at Joe Lyons Cakes where he led the opening of a new depot in Dorset.

Asked what the secret is to be celebrating 70 years of marriage, Evelyn said: “I think a sense of humour has to be top of the list.

“It’s also important to work through everything as what you’ve built up, you’re not going to throw away, are you?”

She added: “Our wedding day was wonderful. It was just a beautiful day. The weather was great, as was the company. We got a ferry to Jersey afterwards for our honeymoon and we’ve got some lovely memories of our family coming down to wave us off at the docks.”

Speaking about the family party, Evelyn said: “John is well looked after at Fairlawn. The team are lovely, as is the food. We are so pleased that we could open up the event to our family and friends to come and have a drink with us.”

Fairlawn, which is run by the not-for-profit charity Care South, provides residential, respite, and dementia care.

The care home features a range of communal lounges overlooking landscaped gardens for residents to enjoy. Fairlawn has a dedicated activities team who organise a daily programme of events to bring residents together to socialise and build friendships.

Donna Moss, deputy manager at Fairlawn, said: “It was a real privilege for us to help John and Evelyn celebrate their remarkable milestone anniversary.

“It was wonderful to welcome their family and friends into the home to join the party and share in their celebrations.

“At Care South, we pride ourselves on creating special moments for our residents, so it was lovely to play a part in John and Evelyn’s day as they continue to create new memories together.”