Diamond celebration for dancing duo

Ken and Dot Ford cutting their anniversary cake, which was skilfully decorated by Dot

The Littlehampton couple met at the town’s well-known Top Hat Dance Hall in the mid 1950s and are still keen dancers to this day, attending regular dance afternoons in Middleton.

Ken, a Welshman known as Taffy, was a naval airman based at RNAS Ford when he met seamstress Dot, née Ford.

They were married at St Mary Magdalene Church, Lyminster, on August 4, 1956, and travelled as Ken’s career in the Royal Navy dictated.

Ken and Dot on their wedding day, August 4, 1956

While stationed in Haverfordwest in Wales, eldest daughter Vicki was born. They were later transferred to Kalafrana, Malta, where second daughter Terry was born and then to Lossiemouth, Scotland, were youngest daughter Trudy was born.

In the early 1960s, they returned to Littlehampton to settle and now all their family live nearby, apart from one grandson, Alex, who lives in New Zealand with his fiancêe Suz.

Dot, 81, and Ken, 80, have six grandchildren and four great grandchildren.To celebrate their anniversary, Ken treated the whole family to Sunday lunch at The Windmill in Rustington.

Celebrations continued at a family party, where a playlist of hits from 1956 filled the air.

Trudy said: “Dot and Ken could not resist getting up to jive. They are often the first to get up and jive at any family get-together.

“Everyone enjoyed a slice of cake, which had been skilfully decorated by Dot, and toasted the couple with a glass of bubbly.”

Dot and Ken returned to Jersey, their honeymoon destination back in 1956, for the anniversary on Thursday.

On their return home on Tuesday, they discovered a special card had arrived for them in the post.

Trudy said: “A royal message of congratulations from the Queen was received by a surprised and delighted Dot and Ken. They had no idea it was coming.”

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