A Calne couple celebrating their Golden wedding anniversary asked their guests for a cash injection, towards the cost of a blood-testing machine for a local doctors' surgery.

George Stratton, 72, and his wife Maisie, 69, were so grateful for all the help and support they received from Patford House Surgery when Mr Stratton was ill they wanted to return the favour.

The couple, from Cornflower Close, knew the surgery wanted a special blood analyser so they asked guests at their party not to give them any presents, but to make a donation towards the machine.

Mrs Stratton, a former cashier at Corrals, said: "Dr Harris our GP was over the moon when we told him what we'd done."

The couple raised £300 at a party they held with family and friends to celebrate their golden wedding anniversary on August 16.

The money they raised was just enough for the surgery to buy an INR machine, which enables people to get the result of blood tests in minutes and is particularly helpful for patients taking blood-thinning drugs, who need regular blood tests.