A NORTH Baddesley couple is set to celebrate 70 years of marriage this week.

Gus and Beryl Webb will be marking their platinum anniversary on Friday (March 26) after they tied the knot at Romsey Abbey in 1951.

The couple first met at Crosfield Hall, Broadwater Road, at a dance - just two years before they got married.

Since then, the pair have enjoyed running an engineering business together and travelled the world in their beloved caravan.

Beryl, 89, said she first laid eyes on Gus, who is now 93, at the hall in December 1949.

She explained: "It was love at first dance, he was a good dancer and I loved dancing.

"I think we met on 13 December and people said it was an unlucky day, but it was not."

Hampshire Chronicle: Gus and Beryl Webb on their wedding day in Romsey

Beryl revealed before she met Gus she delivered flowers to Broadlands where the Queen spent part of her honeymoon with Prince Philp in 1947.

She said: "I was 16 at the time and used to work for Romsey Town Hall. Me and one of the other member of staff rode down on our bikes to Broadlands to deliver the flowers when the Queen came to Romsey for her honeymoon.

"When we went through the gates about 10 minutes later the Queen came through in her car, who was a couple of feet away from us.

"We went into the house, which was absolutely packed with flowers, and I touched Prince Philip's hat that he left on a seat."

After marrying Gus, who was born in Romsey, the pair ran a small engineering business in Landford for 13 years before selling it to another firm.

The globetrotters also spent 25 years travelling the world together in their trusty caravan, where they would sometimes visit friends abroad.

"We have been to places like France, Germany and Barbados and because you're in a caravan you get to see things that other people don't see," Beryl explained.

The pair now have three children, six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

When asked what the secret to a long-lasting marriage is, Beryl said they "give and take and have the same interests", such as gardening, dancing and socialising with friends.

Gus added his marriage has thrived for so long because they have "both got their heads screwed on the same way" and "have always got on well together".

The couple will also have something else to celebrate at the weekend, because they are set to receive their second coronavirus jab at the Crosfield Hall on Saturday (March 27).