A PENARTH couple will be celebrating a golden moment this Saturday when they mark their 50th wedding anniversary.
John and Jean Hawkins of St Marks Road, met and fell in love in London in the 1950s when they both worked for the Post Office.
They married in Hayes, Middlesex on October 16, 1954.
Jean, 76, was originally from Hayes, while John, 76, comes from Ealing in west London.
John moved with his family to south Wales in 1980 to take up a new job with the export credit guarantee department of the civil service based in the Crown Buildings in Cardiff city centre.
Alison Wilson, John and Jean's daughter, and a former Stanwell Comprehensive School pupil, said: "Mum and dad love Wales, especially Penarth and would never go back to the south-east now. They have been here for nearly 25 years and plan to stay.
"They have been brilliant parents to my sister Susan and I and they absolutely adore their three grandchildren.
"They have had such a happy life together and on behalf of the rest of the family I would like to say just how much we appreciate all that they have done for us. "We will be celebrating as a family on Saturday at the Mediteraneo restaurant on the Esplanade in Penarth."
John and Jean Hawkins have two daughters Susan and Alison, and three grandchildren Emma, seven, Laura, two, and Liam, six.
Alison is married to Martin Wilson and Susan to Mick Richards.
John and Jean Hawkins are keen caravaners and have travelled extensively in their caravan in Britain and throughout Europe, visiting Austria and Italy.
They both love their gardening, dedicating a great deal of time to their hobby while in recent years John has developed a talent as a winemaker for which he uses locally-picked fruits to create delicious beverages.
