A COUPLE have reflected on their dancing days as they celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary.

John and Ann Fairgrieve were surrounded by family and friends for a celebratory meal on Saturday as they toasted their 60 years of marriage.

John (known to friends as Ian) is originally from Northfield in Tranent, attending Tranent Primary School and then Preston Lodge High School.

In his final year, he moved to Ross High School when the school opened in 1954, becoming one of the first pupils to attend.

He worked at a knitwear factory in Edinburgh, eventually working up to the role of production manager, and when it closed in 1980 he moved to Capability Scotland.

Ann, 81, is from the Pleasance, Edinburgh, and worked as a bookbinder and then in the printing department at the Bank of Scotland.

John and Ann met at the Cavendish Ballroom in the Capital at the end of 1962 and were engaged in the Radical Road in Queens Park in 1963.

The couple married in Pleasance Church in Edinburgh on September 12, 1964, and enjoyed a honeymoon to Calella in Costa Brava, Spain.

Ann and John on their big day.

John, 84, said: “In those days, it only cost £45 for 10 days! You were only allowed £50 into the country to spend – changed days!”

John still feels a deep connection with East Lothian and visits often, with friends, cousins, nieces and nephews living across Haddington, Ormiston and Tranent.

Their son Alan was born in 1967 and the family moved to Musselburgh in 1968.

The couple now live in Restalrig, where their congratulatory card from Buckingham Palace sits in pride of place on the mantlepiece.

John and Ann celebrated their diamond wedding with a gathering at Liberton Golf Club, surrounded by 12 close family members and friends.

John said: “The meal was fabulous and everyone had a good time. Staff looked after us very well, everything went champion.”

Now 60 years into their marriage, John says that they “still get on great”, and reflected on their past selves.

He said: “When we were younger, we were both avid dancers. We used to dance every weekend, it was lovely.”

John has hung up his dancing shoes and now enjoys playing golf as often as he can, while Ann still takes part in line dancing every week.

A week before the anniversary, the couple visited a card shop in Musselburgh and simultaneously bought cards for each other, although they did try not to let the other see their selection.

John added: “They’re probably about the same anyway!”