Yardley couple mark diamond wedding by renewing vows

Jul 22 2009 by Edward Chadwick, Birmingham Mail

JOYCE and Charlie Field proved their love is just as strong as 60 years ago when they went back down the aisle to mark their diamond wedding.

The doting couple, both aged 87, renewed their vows and pledged to stick by one another through thick and thin as they passed the milestone.

Family – including their two daughters, four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren – then joined the pair for an afternoon tea party.

Mr and Mrs Field said they wanted to show that they were as devoted in their advancing years as they had been in their youth.

“We wanted to make that commitment to each other again, like we have done every ten years,” said Mr Field, a retired carpenter who served with the Royal Artillery during the Second World War.

“We like doing it because it makes us realise how lucky we are to have each other.”

The service was held at St Michael’s and All Angels Church in Yardley, close to the couple’s home.

They were married at St Giles Church in Sheldon, in 1949, two years after meeting at a party.

Mrs Field, who was an office worker before spending more than 30 years helping children to cross the road as a lollipop lady, revealed the secret behind their long marriage.

“It’s down to being happy with each other and contented with your life,” she said.

“We’ve got four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren and that helps us to feel young.”

Daughter Valerie Radford, aged 53, from Leicestershire, said: “It’s lovely to see my mum and dad so much in love with each other still.

“I think they’ve managed to be together for so long because they’re so young at heart and we’re part of a big family.”