A ROYALIST couple from St Mary Bourne near Andover received a congratulations wedding anniversary card from Queen Elizabeth II, sent in the final week of her life.

Ray and Gwen Randall celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary on Thursday, September 1, 2022. The most precious and poignant recognition of their celebration was the card they received from the Queen.

As avid supporters of the British monarchy, Ray and Gwen were involved in every royal celebration in St Mary Bourne during the late Queen’s reign. Ray was chosen to plant the Platinum Jubilee tree in Her Majesty’s honour last June and previously he and Gwen chaired the committee for the Queen’s 90th birthday celebrations in 2018 and were organisers of Her Majesty’s Silver and Golden Jubilee events in 1978 and 2003.

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The devoted pair have always been committed to helping the community. Ray served for 50 years on St Mary Bourne Parish Council. He was a school governor for 24 years, and more recently he was caretaker of the Village Centre until his retirement due to ill health. For many years he filled every possible role in St Mary Bourne Cricket Club as player, captain, chairman, groundsman and fundraiser. In recognition of this record of community service, he and Gwen were invited to a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace in July 2005.  

Ray and Gwen were married in All Hallows Church, Whitchurch, on September 1, 1962. They first met at a local dance where Ray was the singer in the band called The Bourne Valley Revellers. The couple have lived all their married life in St Mary Bourne where they brought up their family of two daughters Patricia and Elaine, followed by the surprise arrival 12 years later of their son Christopher in 1978. 

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Whilst Ray worked for local builders Swattons, Gwen combined homemaking duties with working in the local shop and at the village school in the 1970/80s as a lollipop lady and dinner lady. Later she worked in Tesco as a team leader for training cashiers and also trained as a Post Office assistant to become deputy manager at St Mary Bourne village shop. She became a parish councillor on Ray’s retirement in 2018.

To celebrate the diamond anniversary their family organised a party for over 80 family members, friends and well-wishers in St Mary Bourne Village Centre and later they took Ray and Gwen off for a welcome four-day break in Devon, together with all their grandchildren and the dogs.