THEY first met more than 50 years ago after he had been involved in a crash with two lorries and she tended him in hospital.

But after losing their respective partners, Tony Gray and Mary Kelly decided to do something remarkable and took the plunge and got married, while raising money for a cause very close to both of their hearts at the same time.

Instead of asking for wedding gifts after a lifetime of married life, they instead called on their wedding guests to donate to the Brighter Futures Radiotherapy Appeal. To date their generous family and friends have raised more than £1,000 to mark the couple’s happy day.

They first met in Savernake Hospital in 1961 where Mary was a 17-and-a-half year old student nurse. Tony was brought in after his car collided with two lorries who came around a blind bend side by side. Miraculously he escaped with just a broken leg.

“I was in bed for a month with my leg strung up in the air,” he said remembering when he had first met Mary when he was 22.

Tony – who went on to serve as Mayor of Marlborough for two terms – ended up marrying another nurse at the hospital - Mary Jones - who called on Mary Kelly to be her bridesmaid. Mary Kelly later married Michael Bishop, and the two couples became life-long friends.

Sadly Michael lost his battle with lung cancer in March 2012, while Mary passed away in August 2013.

Further tragedy struck when Tony’s daughter Victoria lost her own battle with cancer aged just 48. Her two daughters Harriett and Molly were bridesmaids to their grandfather at the wedding held at The Sacred Heart in Royal Wootton Bassett earlier this month.

Tony, who is well-known for having run Duck’s Toy Shop on Marlborough High Street, said the couple had been inspired to support the charity after experiencing very personal losses. He said: “The upheaval caused to families of having to travel to Oxford daily for radiotherapy treatment is terrible - it is a horrific trip whichever way you go.

“We have got two households full of furnishings, and we thought the best thing people could do was help other people that might benefit from having treatment much closer to home.”

Mary, who has spent her whole life working as a nurse – and continues to volunteer one day a week at the Great Western Hospital in Swindon - said: “I have lost a lot of friends this year and last year who had to travel to Oxford because of cancer, so we did it in their memories as well.”

A spokesman for Brighter Futures said: “We are incredibly grateful to both Tony and Mary for making Brighter Futures part of their special day. Travelling to Oxford for radiotherapy treatment is not just a relentless and tiring experience for the patient but also for the people closest to them, the money raised by this wonderful couple will help shorten the cancer journey for others for years to come.”