THE family of a Basingstoke couple who are celebrating their diamond wedding anniversary have paid tribute to "the best grandparents and parents anyone could ask for".

Maurice, 81, and Irene Beck, 78, have a special anniversary today (March 25) as the day marks 60 years of marriage for the pair.

The lovebirds got married back in 1961 at Christ Church in Greenwich, south London, before they made the move to Basingstoke.

Their grown-up children Sandra, Deborah and Mark wanted to say thank you to the couple for all they have done for them.

As the current coronavirus pandemic has meant the family are not able to get together to celebrate, their children wanted to share a special message.

Sandra said: "They are the best parents and grandparents anyone could wish for. Always there for us all. They say their secret to a long marriage is trust, honesty, love, patience and a sense of humour."

"We love them dearly and are disappointed we cannot do a party for them so we are planning lots of small surprises for now as they are both shielding. We hope to do a family party later this year."

Maurice and Irene moved to the town with Maurice's employers the publisher, Macmillan. He worked for them for 35 years before he retired.

The pair were childhood sweethearts, meeting in their home city of London, when they met on Valentine's Day. Irene was almost 15 while Maurice, 16.

They fell in love and after a courtship, got married. There was no honeymoon, though. Sandra explains: "They spent their wedding night in deck chairs at the bride's parent's house."

When they moved to Basingstoke, they were the first tenants to move into Stag Hill and lived in a new build - number 7 - at the top of the road. They were so new to the street that it hadn't even been tarmacked yet. 

The couple have five grandchildren: Kerri, Hayley, Darren, Stephanie, and Adam and one great-grandchild, Sophia who is four.

They now live in Haydn Road, Brighton Hill. 

Despite the pandemic, daughter Sandra said the couple have had a lovely day with a number of surprises keeping them busy. They enjoyed a catch-up with family in America over video and received cards from the Queen as well as the Mayor of Basingstoke.