Wolverhampton couple whose love story started with a postcard celebrate diamond anniversary

Janet and Adrianus Visser marked their diamond anniversary on June 6 after marrying 60 years ago at St Michael and All Angels Church in Tettenhall.

The couple's love story began in August 1963 when Janet jetted off to Leiden, Holland, for a holiday.

The 81-year-old had written some postcards to send home but hadn't got any stamps, so went on a walk with her friend to find some.

It was then that she spotted her future husband – who is originally from Holland – and his friends on the street and asked for help.

Janet said: "He took me to the shop to get a stamp and to a postbox to post the postcards. We all stood on the corner of the street having fun speaking different words and counting in Dutch and English.

"Adrianus followed me back to where I was staying. He asked me out and it went from there."

The couple then began penning letters to each other which Janet went through word-for-word and translated into English.

Janet added: "I was living with my Granny and she had a friend who used to do the house work to help once a week and every Thursday, she used to say 'there is another letter waiting for you here, he does love you, it has got kisses all over it'."

In March of the following year, Adrianus, aged 80, moved to Wolverhampton after Janet got him a job in the factory at Guy Motors, where she was working as a typist at the time.

The couple then bought a house in Wednesfield in 1966 and have stayed in the area ever since.

They went on to have a daughter, Linda, in 1965, as well as two granddaughter's, Jenny and Natalie, and five great-grandchildren including Amelia, Charlie, Phoenix, Luna and Mia.

When asked the secret to a long and happy marriage, Janet and Adrianus agreed it is to consider each other's feelings.

Janet said: "We think of each other all the while. [Adrianus] will say what he is doing with his day and ask if I want to go with him and I think that is the reason we are still together – we love each other and consider each other.

"You grow together more over the years. We like each other's company really, we just get on well together."

The couple said some of their favourite memories have included going on holiday to Holland to visit Adrianus' parents and travelling to Cornwall, Northumberland and Scotland.

To celebrate their diamond wedding anniversary, they enjoyed a meal with their family and Janet's bridesmaids and tucked into a celebratory cake made by one of their granddaughter's.