A HEAVY snowfall is not on the wish list the day before a wedding especially when it is taking place deep in the south Shropshire Hills.

“The wedding car got through but many of the guests did not make it and those that did were almost all in Land Rovers,” said Mary Bradley as she recalls her wedding at Neen Savage Church 50 years ago.

After the wedding there was a trip along snow covered roads to a reception at Clowes Top Village Hall.

This was followed by a car journey to Worcester where they took a train to Cheltenham where they spent their wedding night before next day travelling on to Bournemouth by coach.

Half a century, three children and six grandchildren later Mary, 74 and her husband Leighton, 77, are still farming at Leighton on Teme.

To mark their golden wedding anniversary the couple returned for the first time to the hotel in Bournemouth where they had their honeymoon.

“It was special to go back but so much had changed,” said Mary, who alongside bringing up a family and running the farm with Leighton also worked at a number of schools in the area before taking early retirement.

“I have the original receipt for our honeymoon stay and took it with me. We spent six days at the hotel with full board and the bill was 17 Guineas (£17.85),”

said Mary.

In the years that followed the couple had three children David, Sheila and Timothy who all live locally and have given Mary and Timothy six grandchildren.

Mary’s family comes from Neen Savage and Leighton from Wood Farm at Milson. They met when Mary was working for Leighton’s father.

The day-to-day running of the farm where they now live in a bungalow is in the hands of son David but Leighton and Mary still play a part in the family business.

Leighton has recently had a hip replacement but otherwise the couple have generally good health and leisure time includes gardening.