THE BOMBING of Swansea during the Second World War helped to bring together a Hereford couple who are celebrating their diamond wedding anniversary next week.

Jan and Richie Jenkins, of Doncaster Avenue, Bobblestock, will be celebrating 60 years of marriage after being brought closer together by the war.

Richie, aged five at the time of the war had his family home destroyed by a bomb, which forced his family to move to his grandfather's house in Aberystwyth.

"It's a good job he did or we might have never met," said Jan.

"Richie went to the air raid shelter and when he came back his house had gone.

"We were luckier in Aberystwyth as we were out of the way although I do remember the ration packs."

Through their childhood years the pair knew of each other but it wasn't until Jan had left school that she let Richie date her.

She added: "I knew of him through a friend and as Aberystwyth was quite small we often just said hello.

"We bumped into each other one evening whilst on the pier but as I was still at school for another week and I wanted to wait until I had finished before I started a relationship.

"I was still 15 at the time and left school on the Thursday before we went to the cinema on our first date on the Saturday.

"He took me to see a film in black and white at Aberystwyth Colisceum."

The pair married two years later in 1956 before deciding to move to Hereford for Richie to become a brick layer's apprentice in 1964.

"It's not all a bed of roses you have to weather the storm and get through it," said Jan.

"You have got to work at it and things don't just fall into place. In those days if we couldn't afford something we didn't have it which was simple."

The couple have got three children named Shirley, Julie and Mark and four grandchildren.

Jan added: "In those days the women didn't work while Richie worked seven days a week so I was always at home for the children in the school holidays.

"Life was different in those days and the world around us was so much safer. Our children would go down to the river on the school holidays all day and the boys would look after the girls.

"We have got a very close family and we think the world of our grandchildren. Never a week goes by when they don't get in touch with us."

It is a double celebration for Richie who will also celebrate his 80th birthday three days before their anniversary.