SIXTY happy years of marriage have proved a "snip" for retired hairdresser Vic Gatherum and his wife Barbara.

Mr Gatherum, 81 and his wife, 79, of Hardens Close, Chippenham, celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary last week, with a surprise party and a message from the Queen.

The couple first met in Hertfordshire in March 1939, when he was 17 and she was 15.

Both keen cyclists, they marked their "riding out" together by getting a tandem and it wasn't long before the union became permanent.

The couple married at St John's Church in Boxmoor, Hertfordshire in 1943, and despite it being wartime, they managed to have a traditional wedding, thanks to the generosity of their friends and family.

Mrs Gatherum said: "My mother and her friends collected coupons to get me a white wedding dress which went on to be worn by two other brides.

"We also lived near an American base and the US soldiers gave us flour and dried fruit from their stores, which we used to make a two-tier wedding cake."

During the war Mr Gatherum served with the Royal Navy on mine sweepers in the Mediterranean and the Adriatic, while his wife worked for a munitions company and as a volunteer for the Red Cross.

In 1946, Mr Gatherum was de-mobbed from the Navy and a year later they moved to Chippenham, where they had a son, Timothy. Mr Gatherum started work as a barber at RAF Yatesbury.

In 1953, he took his scissors to Devizes Hospital, where he cut both ladies' and men's hair.

And he also later worked as a barber at Newman's in Park Lane, Chippenham.

"Moving to Chippenham was wonderful," said Mr Gatherum.

"It was strange at first, as we did not know anyone, but we soon made friends and they have become dear friends to us still."

Mrs Gatherum said Chippenham was a quiet place when she and Vic arrived in 1947. She said: "We used to walk along Hungerdown Lane with the baby in the pram and it was all trees.

"In fact, we have seen the town change from a quiet little place to a bustling market town, but we have loved living here."

Mrs Gatherum said that the family were keen cyclists for some years and though he and his wife gave up their tandem before Timothy was born, Mr Gatherum built a special saddle for the child and the three of them enjoyed many long rides through the countryside to Castle Combe, Lacock and Biddestone.

The pair celebrated 60 years of marriage with a surprise party, thrown by their friends and family at the Rotary Hall in Station Hill, Chippenham.

"It was a wonderful surprise," said Mrs Gatherum. "We were absolutely gobsmacked as they say these days."

Among the guests was their daughter-in-law Ann and grandson James, now 14. "James video taped the party and had a wonderful time," said Mrs Gatherum.

Keen members of England's Old Tyme Dancing Association, the celebration included old tyme dancing, as well as a little disco too.

And in celebration of their 60 years together, the pair also received a congratulatory message from the Queen.

"It was lovely to get the message," said Mrs Gatherum.

"And combined with the surprise party it has all been a fantastic way to celebrate."

When asked for the secret of their long marriage, the couple agreed it was love and friendship.

"You must be friends," said Mrs Gatherum, "although love is what has kept us going all these years."