Community stalwarts and diamond couple, David and Stephanie Palmer, of Mildenhall, celebrate 60 years of marriage

It’s a diamond milestone for two community stalwarts who are celebrating 60 years of marriage.

David and Stephanie Palmer, of Mildenhall, met while studying dentistry at Leeds University in 1961 and tied the knot on October 2, 1965.

Two years later, the couple moved to Mildenhall and bought a dental practice in Mill Street where they worked until they both retired in 2004.

They marked their special anniversary with a private celebration for close family and friends at The Riverside Hotel on Saturday.

The pair have both been heavily involved in their community over a number of decades.

Stephanie, 84, has volunteered at Mildenhall Museum in various roles for more than 40 years and has been a Brownie Guider as well as a magistrate.

David, 86, was a long-term member of the Mildenhall Round Table, a trustee of the Mildenhall Almshouses, and was involved in a River Lark project for five years to help improve its biodiversity and flow and biodiversity.

He was also a member at the Royal Worlington Golf Club for 44 years.

The pair have been involved with St Mary’s Church in many capacities too.

Stephanie said: “It does feel like it’s gone very quickly but we are grateful to make it here and we have really enjoyed being part of this community.

“We’ve had such a good time and made many friends over the years. The community is our livelihood and we have tried to serve it as best we could.

“I think it’s good to have different interests as we’ve always had something to talk about.”

David added: “We’re incredibly fortunate and it’s been a very nice 60 years.

“We were always in full employment which was a blessing and we managed to make it past the difficult part of raising children.

“Since then we’ve had more time to ourselves and we’ve very much enjoyed it.”