A PARTY for friends and family in their adopted home town was a golden opportunity for Elizabeth and Philip Pattimore to celebrate 50 years of marriage.

Former Lyme Regis butcher Philip and Elizabeth, who worked as a dispenser in many Lyme chemists and doctors’ surgeries, welcomed their guests to the Woodmead Halls on Sunday for a party.

The couple married on 9 June, 1962 at Cwmbran in south Wales, where Elizabeth’s father was the Methodist minister and young Philip worked in the local butcher’s shop.

In 1982 the couple moved to West Dorset and Philip ran his own shop, P & EA Pattimore, in Coombe Street until he retired four years ago, although he is still to be found helping out at son Christopher’s butcher’s shop in Charmouth.

The couple moved to Axminster on their retirement, but still have many friends in Lyme.

“We moved here when Philip decided he wanted his own business.

“We looked on the south coast, because we wanted to be near the sea and we came to Lyme Regis – and that was it,” said Elizabeth.

The recipe for a long and happy marriage is listening to each other, maintains Elizabeth.

“And never go to bed angry with one another,” she adds.

The Pattimores have three children Jane, Christopher and son Jeffery, who lives in Belgium, but who came to Lyme Regis with his own family to join in the celebrations.