A SALTASH couple who met at a dance in Keyham, Plymouth, and were married at St Mark's, Ford, celebrated their diamond wedding with friends and relatives.

Among the early visitors to Stan and Ruby Blake was Saltash mayor Eve Storey (pictured above) who presented them with a basket of flowers. She was accompanied by her consort, her husband Jim.

Stan, 82, was born in Saltash and attended the town's boys school, becoming an apprentice bricklayer, and later being made a senior foreman at Devonport Dockyard. During his years at Devonport he worked in Rosyth in Scotland and Singapore, Malta, Gibraltar, and Sierra Leone.

Ruby, 82, was born in Plymouth, and on leaving school joined the WRNS, being based in Plymouth.

The couple have a daughter, Patricia Spence who lives in Scotland, and two sons, Raymond of St Austell and Anthony who lives in Lincolnshire and is serving with the RAF. They also have five grandchildren, all the family joining them for a celebration meal at the China Fleet Club.

In his young days Stan was a keen footballer, while Ruby enjoys whist and still plays each week. She also makes crochet work at home. Both are members of Saltash Second Forum.

Stan's sister, Betty Harvey of Saltash, was one of their bridesmaids.

Picture: Audrey Miller, Saltash.

Choirs in concert

TWO local choirs, Saltash Male Voice Choir and Rame Peninsula Male Voice Choir, combined on Saturday evening for a concert at Saltash's Wesley Church.

Pauline Turpitt opened the programme with a Cole Porter medley, 'My Heart Will Go On' and others.

Saltash Male Voice Choir, conducted by David Lodge and accompanied by Elizabeth Donelly, began with a selection from 'South Pacific', and then 'Sailing.'

The two choirs joined together for the singing of 'Gwahoddiad', and David played several pieces on the organ, including 'Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring' and 'Prelude and Fuge in A Minor' by Bach.

In the second half, Rame sang 'Two little boys',followed by 'Let there be peace on Earth' and Nessun Dorma by Puccini.

Deputy conductor, Chris Mann, conducted Rame in the singing of 'She'.

Elizabeth Donnelly delighted her audience with selections on her accordion and Saltash sang three Hungarian folk songs, followed by Kumbaya and 'The Heavenly Aeroplane.' The two choirs combined at the end of the concert with 'When the Saints go marching in'. Bob Papworth was the compere and a vote of thanks was given by the Saltash male voice choir's president, Mona Tomaszewska.

Mayor's charity day

ABOUT 20 organisations took part in the mayor's charity day at Saltash Guildhall on Saturday, with stalls offering goods for sale and information about their particular groups.

The mayor, Eve Storey, served teas and sandwiches throughout the day with proceeds for the mayor's charity funds. Mrs Storey said later she hoped future mayors would continue the event.

Picture: Audrey Miller, Saltash.

Delight over plan rejection

NEWS that Caradon council has turned down the South West Water plan to build eight detached homes on a former sewage treatment works site in Coombe Road, Saltash, overlooking the River Tamar, has been greeted with delight by district councillor Joy Morrish.

Mrs Morrish had, like many others, felt the access lane to the site was too narrow for the traffic which would be generated by the housing. She has now pledged to keep an eye on the situation, from the district council point of view, to see if any new plans are re-submitted for the land.