Blackpool couple Denis and Mary Mitchell celebrate platinum wedding anniversary

Denis, 94, and 90 year old Mary were married at Blackpool’s Holy Trinity Church on Dean Street, on March 22, 1952 and this week celebrated their platinum anniversary.

The couple, who spent many years working together in the hotel trade in Blackpool, enjoyed a family bash at their home on Johnsville Avenue, South Shore, with champagne and afternoon tea.

They have two grown-up children, Virginia and Paul, as well as three grandchildren and six great grandchildren.

Asked about the secret of their happy marriage, Mary said: “We get on well with each other, that’s the main thing.

"When we first met, at the Winter Gardens dance in Blackpool, Denis said he wasn’t very good at dancing but I told him he’d have to learn!

"And after that we went dancing for years.”

Denis said: “Because we worked together we got used to spending time together and stayed busy, and I think that was a good thing.

"Working in the hotel kept us both fit!”

Denis moved to Blackpool from Southport as a young boy from Southport to Blackpool with his eight siblings.

He served in the RAF and then worked at Orrys men’s outfitters in Blackpool before becoming a hotelier.

Mary’s parents owned The Windsor Hotel on Blackpool seafront, which is where she grew up.

Mary and Denis, along with Mary’s brother George and his wife Kathleen took over the running of the hotel, where they had many happy years until the mid 1980s.

The couple’s daughter Virginia worked on Blackpool trams and the deck chairs as a student before becoming a teacher working at Roseacre and Haweside school.

Their son Paul is a keen Blackpool FC supporter and trained to be a dentist, where he practiced in St Anne’s until his recent retirement.

All the family have remained in Blackpool and all live close by.

Granddaughter Carly Nicholson said: “My grandparents are the life and soul of any party, they have a loving family who are very proud of them.

“We are all very close and enjoyed celebrating their milestone with them.”