What’s the secret to 60 years of marriage?

Herts Advertiser: David and Janet Day.David and Janet Day. (Image: Archant)

Janet and David Day are celebrating their diamond wedding anniversary, ten years after marking their golden in the pages of the Herts Advertiser.

The pair, aged 79 and 81, have come back to us to celebrate a 60 years of matrimony, having married on St David’s Day in 1958.

Asked for their secret, Janet said: “It’s a bit early to say! But it’s lots of give and take and lots of working together.”

The pair ran the Apple Hotel on London Road in St Albans for 19 years together, from 1986 to 2005, after careers in the city.

Both of them are from the local area, Janet was born in St Albans and educated at Fleetville Infant School and Beaumont School, while David was born in London Colney and educated at what was then the town’s secondary modern.

They met as teenagers and married immediately after David had finished his National Service, spared no expense on their wedding then enjoyed their honeymoon in the highly-fashionable Butlins near Margate in Kent.

They then embarked on careers in the city: Janet worked at an employment agency and David helped redesign offices for bankers and was on first name terms with the president of the Bank of France.

Janet recalled: “One dealer wanted a Mickey Mouse telephone in his office, so David got it. Then all the other dealers wanted one!

“The hotel was just something that came around. You have to earn a living as in our day when you got married you had to get up and go.

“You would not sign on for welfare as the neighbours would talk about you.”

Using David’s expertise, they redesigned their home into a nine-bedroom hotel, but eventually closed it rather than carry on adjusting to different governments’ taxes and regulations.

The hotel is once again their home, the majority of which is occupied by their son and his family, while Janet and David live in an annex.

Janet said: “We work together by agreeing our aims and working together to achieve them. mWe now have a son, two grandchildren, and a nice daughter-in-law.”

They intend to celebrate their wedding anniversary at The Green Dragon in London Colney with 50 friends and relatives.