A couple who both hail from the same Suffolk town but met by chance on a coach trip in the West Country are celebrating their diamond anniversary.

Ipswich Star: Jerry and Maureen Corder at their Hadleigh home. Picture: SARAH LUCY BROWNJerry and Maureen Corder at their Hadleigh home. Picture: SARAH LUCY BROWN

Jerry and Maureen Corder were married at St Mary’s Church in Hadleigh on September 14, 1957.

The pair moved into their home in Benton Street, Hadleigh, shortly after their wedding and have lived there ever since.

Maureen said: “We are very happy and we are lucky really because we are both in good health and that makes all the difference.”

When they met during a coach holiday in 1954, Jerry, 86, and Maureen, 85, both lived in Hadleigh but had not been formally acquainted.

Maureen is a former assistant at a secondary school in Hadleigh and Jerry made his career in local government, with stints at both Ipswich Borough Council and Suffolk County Council.

They have three daughters, one son and six grandchildren.

The couple plan to celebrate the milestone with their family.