A FAMILY holiday, surprise party and meal out with friends made it a busy and enjoyable golden wedding celebration for Dorothy and Donald Wicker.

The couple, from Rudyard Drive, Darwen, were treated to a surprise party at Derwent Hall, where Dorothy is a volunteer, ahead of their 50th anniversary today. The couple also went for a meal at the Whitehall Country Club with their family and friends last weekend and in September they went for a holiday in Shetland with their daughter Sandra, who lives in Blackburn, and son Duncan, who lives in Ireland.

Dorothy said: "The Derwent Hall party was a nice surprise but I felt a bit guilty because it was supposed to be the Christmas party for the staff. The idea was to have a staff party, which was when they sprung the surprise on us."

The couple met when they lived and worked in Rochdale before moving to Darwen in 1965.