Couple mark diamond wedding anniversary after chance meeting on a bus led to love

A CHANCE meeting on a bus has led to 60 years of happy marriage for Brian and Jennifer Munden who enjoyed a family party to mark the milestone anniversary.

The couple were both travelling back to London from Lyndhurst on what was then the Royal Blue bus after visiting their respective parents in Lymington.

Daughter Denise said: “I think they must have liked what they saw of each other because they were engaged to be married within about four to five weeks of that meeting!”

Jennifer, now 86, was working in secretarial and admin at the time while Brian, now 84, worked for British airways, then as a senior aircraft engineer.

Thanks to his job the couple were able to honeymoon in Barbados which was thought so unusual at the time the A&T featured it as a news story.

They had married at St Thomas Church on Lymington High Street on 5th October 1963.

After their honeymoon they settled down to married life eventually moving to Sunninghill, Berkshire, where they lived for over 25 years.

Keen golfer Brian was a member of a local club and they both enjoyed bowling at Sunninghill Bowling Club.

The couple had two daughters, Denise, and Linda, and now have three grandchildren Samuel, William and Alice and two great-grandchildren Aoife and Juno.

Samuel is in the Royal Navy and is due to be deployed abroad so it was especially nice for the couple that he was able to attend the family party held on Sunday.

Denise said: “We were very lucky with the beautiful weather, and it was just a lovely happy occasion. We had a special celebration cake which they cut, and it was just nice for them to have all the family together.”

Last Thursday the couple had been treated to afternoon tea at Southlawns Hotel in Milford which they “greatly enjoyed”.

The couple are enthusiastic cruise lovers and have enjoyed many sailings to places around the world.

They moved back to the New Forest around four years ago and now live in Boldre.

Daughter Linda said: “They are just a typical happily married couple who are superb grandparents. They have been brilliant. “