THERE’S not that many of us who are lucky enough to claim receiving a card from the Queen.

Well meet Leslie and Marjorie Shambrook who this week acquired their THIRD congratulations from Her Royal Highness as they celebrated their platinum, 70th anniversary.

The Codicote couple told the WHT they felt very lucky to be marking such an occasion.

Leslie, 90, said: “We have had a wonderful life and have been blessed with fantastic support from all of our family, especially our grandchildren, we couldn’t have reached this milestone without them.”

Leslie and Marjorie first met at a ball in 1936. By 1941 the Whitwell lad and Codicote girl were to marry at Codicote Church on June 7. Leslie was given permission for a seven-day break from war in his position in the 51st (Highland) Infantry Division to take Marjorie on honeymoon to Elgin, in Scotland.

Marjorie (nee Harrison), 91, said: “At first my father didn’t want us to marry, I think that was because he didn’t want me to leave the family home! In the end I didn’t, because Les was away at war. Les used to come home some weekends and see me, and then after the war he moved in with us anyway.”

The honeymoon was the first of many happy holidays after the war for the Codicote Road residents.

The parents-of-two travelled the world when Leslie retired from his role at Harrison’s Garage, which was owned by Marjorie’s family.

During their tours the grandparents-of-five and great-grandparents-of-two, picked New York and Washington as favourite destinations, mainly for the cities’ wonderful floral displays. A love of gardening has been matched by a passion for bowls. Of course, as it seems with every long-lasting couple, their secret is give and take, while providing each other the time to speak their mind. Leslie joked though, “at times perhaps that’s our trouble!”