A COUPLE from Chipping Sodbury have celebrated 60 years of married bliss with a diamond anniversary party surrounded by family and friends.

Peter and Betty Billingham, 86 and 84, are frequently seen in and around the town, having lived there for the past 24 years, with Betty having earned the nickname of “The Pirate Lady” among children in the town, thanks to the notorious skull and crossbones flag on her mobility buggy.

They enjoyed a night out with 35 family and friends at the George Hotel on the High Street, celebrating the anniversary of their wedding on October 13, 1956, in Saltash, Cornwall.

Giving a lot of credit to their long-lasting partnership, the couple say they have been united by a love of travel and adventure, with Betty’s childhood spanned Sudan, Kenya, Germany and England, while Birmingham-born Peter, a geologist and former journalist, is never far from a new challenge, taking up the Duke of Edinburgh’s challenge to make his way around the world on £5 at a young age.

Shortly after their wedding, the couple moved to Trinidad, where their two children Ivone and Julie were born, before moving briefly back to England and onto South Africa, returning in 1992 to live in Chipping Sodbury.

Since moving to the town, Peter kept up the adventure-spirit, becoming very active in potholing, while Betty has become a celebrated photographer and author, winning a number of prizes and having two books published online.