A TADLEY couple will be celebrating their diamond wedding anniversary today (June 22).

Ann and Michael Broad have been married since June 22, 1957, and have lived in the area for all 60 years of their marriage, having moved in November 1957.

They met after Michael had completed his national service in Cyprus and he re-joined the 1st Chessington Scout Group as a leader, where Ann had joined as a helper with the Cub Scout pack.

They then joined the 24th Basingstoke Scout group, with Michael becoming the scout leader, and Ann the cub scout leader.

The couple then moved in to Tadley in 1967, where they joined the Tadley Scout Group in the newly formed Silchester District.

Michael stayed with the Tadley Group for a number of years as assistant scout leader and quartermaster and then as assistant district commissioner for leader training for the Silchester District.

Ann continued as cub scout leader of Tadley (Tuesday) Cub Scout Pack and, for a time, as assistant district commissioner for cub scouts in the Silchester District, finally retiring in 2000.

She was awarded the Silver Acorn award for her work.

In 1970, Ann trained to be a teacher in Winchester, and then had a long career teaching for 30 years.

Michael worked for AWE, first at Fort Halstead in Kent and then at Aldermaston from the early 1950s to his retirement in the late 1990s. He also took part in the atom bomb tests in Australia and Christmas Island.

Michael has been on the Tadley Town Council as a town councillor since his retirement, acting as the liaison between AWE and the town council.

Until recently, he was also a member of the Community Committee at AWE, overseeing the distribution of money given by AWE to charitable causes.

He also remains a trustee of the Tadley Swimming Pool, having held the position since his appointment in 2006.

They have also both been presented with a Good Citizen Award from Tadley Town Council.

Until four years ago, the couple would regularly go skiing in Europe, with Michael having learnt to ski during his national service in Cyprus.