GOLDEN couple Janice and Sandy Campbell shared their love on their 50th wedding anniversary when they raised £1,300 for the Prospect Hospice.

The Royal Wootton Bassett pair, who married on March 29, 1965 in Dundee, Scotland, celebrated their special day at The Wiltshire Hotel last month, where they would have been satisfied raising just a few couple of hundred pounds for the Wroughton-based charity.

“With our golden wedding looming, we decided to have a party at The Wiltshire Golf and Spa Hotel so that we could share our joy with all our family and close friends,” said 71-year-old Janice.

“We thought we ought to have a party and decided to invite around 100 people, and I think around 85 or so came along in the end, including our families but mainly of our close friends.

“We’ve always been a bit of a quirky couple, so we wanted to do something a little bit different and make a meaningful gesture.

“We gave it some thought and then decided that we did not want presents.

“Instead, we suggested to our guests that, should they wish, we would be delighted if they could make a donation to the Prospect Hospice.

“The evening was fabulous — the food was wonderful, the speeches were heartwarming and funny, the disco was a hit.

“But what really made it all so special was that our friends and family were there to share it with us.

“We managed to raise £1,300, which is absolutely brilliant.

“We had said to ourselves that if everyone gave a couple of pounds we might raise about £600, but I don’t think we expected quite so much.”

The couple chose the Prospect out of recognition of the work they did to care for several of the couple’s friends during the past few years.

“Three of my friends had been in the Prospect Hospice over the last year and a half and their families had nothing but praise for the care given – not only to the patient but also the family,” said Janice.

“I myself was diagnosed with Non Hodgkins Lymphoma three-and-a-half years ago and am pleased to say that I am currently in remission.

“The work the Prospect do is just amazing. They take care of the whole family.”

It made for a very special anniversary for the couple, who have one daughter and three grandsons.

Janice said: “We continue to enjoy our retirement.

Sandy, at age 79, still plays golf, although nowadays he is a fair weather player.

“I go to the gym and pilates and am an avid gardener,” he said.

“Our secret to a happy marriage — each have your own interests, look after each other, enjoy your family, have lots of friends, laugh a lot and stay ‘sweethearts’ even if you’ve been together for as long as we have.”

For more information about Prospect Hospice and the work that they do, visit www.prospect-hospice.net.