The Andover Advertiser provided the ideal meeting place for a couple who are this week celebrating their diamond wedding anniversary.

Gerald and Valerie Stoodley, of Turin Court, Andover, met outside this newspaper’s offices in the Easter of 1952, when the paper was based on the High Street.

Gerald, 80, who has been reading the Advertiser for 70 years, said: “We got talking outside the old Andover Advertiser offices in High Street.

“I think it was a coincidental meeting but I said ‘do you fancy going out some time?’ “We went to the old Savoy and she ended up paying because I forgot my wallet.”

At the time, Gerald, who was from Ludgershall, was an apprentice bricklayer for Dennings, and Valerie, 78, worked at a day nursery.

When asked what made her agree to go out with him, Valerie said: “I liked the look of him and the way he spoke, I thought ‘this is the one for me’.”

Shortly after they met Gerald joined the Royal Engineers in Farnborough to do his National Service and they became engaged before he was posted to Germany.

They were married on 23 October 1954 at St Mary’s Church in Andover and had their reception at Moor Hall.

Valerie organised the wedding while Gerald was in Germany, buying her dress from Heaths in Andover, and he came back on leave for the ceremony.

They had Denise, their first of five children, the following year and now have six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

After leaving the Army, Gerald kept racing pigeons for many years and even wrote a book about pigeons which The Queen has a copy of.

Describing how plain talking from his wife and pigeons has kept the marriage strong, he says: “If we had a slight difference of opinion, I used the pigeons to send a message home to say I’m sorry about this morning and I love you.

“When I got home I would have a meal on the table anyway.”

Twenty-five years ago, Gerald had a liver transplant and since then he has raised thousands of pounds for organ donation charities by donating the proceeds of the sales of his pigeons.

He raised £250,000 by walking 400 miles from Edinburgh to Marble Arch in 1995.

After the children had grown up, Valerie worked as a school assistant at Norman Gate School while Gerald kept bricklaying.

They will be celebrating their anniversary this week with a quiet meal out for just the two of them.