Couple who ‘fell in love at first sight’ celebrate 65th anniversary

Pamela and Alan Hughes first met in Warrington when they were teenagers after being invited to a mutual friend’s party.

There, the pair played pass the parcel and postman’s knock, and Pamela confesses it was ‘love at first sight’.

Alan, who was 17 at the time, walked a 15-year-old Pamela home from the party and the couple then didn’t see each other again until they attended the same church service at St Elphin’s.

After the service, Pamela walked home with her friend, who shouted to Alan to slow down and walk with them. When she peeled off part way along the route, Alan kept walking with Pamela, and the rest is history.

Pamela and Alan got married 65 years ago (Image: Supplied)

The couple married at St Elphin’s Church on September 5, 1959, at just 23 and 25-years-old.

The couple’s wedding wasn’t just attended by friends and family, but by the entire Brownies group that Pamela helped start at the church.

Known then as Pam Hicks, Pamela was a fundamental part in creating the group and received a guard of honour from the young Brownies. Although she hasn’t stayed in touch with any of them, she does wonder where they all are now.

“I would be interested to know just if they recognise themselves [in the picture] or if they still live in Warrington,” she said.

“I would just be interested to see how their lives have progressed.”

Their wedding was attended by the Brownies (Image: Supplied)

While the years spent unmarried and living apart were certainly not a waste, Pamela does look back at how times have changed.

“Why waste all that time being virgins, we could have been having a good time,” she joked.

“Now, people live together and obviously enjoy it, whereas we didn’t. Looking back, it seems incredible.”

After four happy years living together in Padgate, the couple moved to Bury where they had their son, Martin.

Now, Pamela and Alan are 88 and 90-years-old and live in Oxfordshire, where they recently celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary. To mark the occasion, the couple enjoyed a getaway to a hotel not far from their home.

Together they have two grandchildren, and last year they welcomed the birth of their first great grandchild.

The couple celebrated their anniversary by going to a hotel (Image: Supplied)

It takes a lot of love to make a marriage last 65 years and a lot of patience too, according to Pamela.

“Give and take is the secret I would say,” she said.

“If Alan does something I’m not very keen on, I just accept it and vice versa. You don’t have to have arguments or rows over anything. You have to think twice before you start complaining.

“If Alan does something I don’t really like, I think of something of something nice that he does because he’s so helpful.

“He really is very very helpful with me, so I accept anything that I’m cross about.”