Platinum celebrations for couple after 70 years together (From Knutsford Guardian)

Platinum celebrations for couple after 70 years together

5:20pm Monday 24th December 2012 in News By James Wilson

IT has been a platinum celebration for a Knutsford couple this week as they toasted a landmark wedding anniversary.

Jack and Rene Tivey tied the knot on December 12, 1942 and 70 years on from their big day the couple raised a glass at their Sharston Crescent home.

After meeting on a busy train between Coventry and Birmingham the pair hit it off straight away and two months later were married.

But Jack told the Guardian that due to the war they don’t have any pictures of the ceremony at Birmingham registry office as all the film had to be sent to the forces.

“It wasn’t as easy to have a big wedding back then,” Rene added.

After first daughter, Hilary, was born in 1944 they left the West Midlands and headed to Filey in north Yorkshire for a change in career to run a 100-bed youth hostel.

Both Rene and Jack had happy memories of hostels while growing up and decided to give it a go.

Rene said: “It was jolly hard work. I’d heard of the youth hostel movement at school and we were all told about the ‘magic shilling’, which meant you could stay in a hostel for one shilling.”

Jack added: “We wanted to do something together and I’d stayed in youth hostels across Europe when I was a student.”

But after Rene gave birth again, the strain of bringing up their off spring and welcoming guests became too much for the couple and they swapped the large hostel for a 14-bed hostel in nearby Farndale, which also saw Jack return to teaching.

They decided to leave the world of youth hostels after their third child, David, was born and moved to Hull where Jack worked as a youth organiser for the district.

With the youth movement in Cheshire in dire straits due to funding issues, Jack decided he fancied the challenge and the couple moved to Knutsford – and 46 years later they are still in the same house.

Rene said: “We’ve got some very good friends and neighbours on the crescent and we were first attracted here because of the green spaces for the children to play in.”

Both are fans of walking and have travelled around the world, including on the Trans Siberian railway.

Jack was clear about his key life moment though.

“The best thing I ever did was marry Rene,” he said.

“I’m not sure we’ve got a happiest memory, we’ve had a lot, but at the same time we’ve had some the other way but we’ve always worked at it.

“I would advise anyone though if they want to be married a long time to choose your parents wisely, marry a saint and get a good GP.”

The couple have three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Congratulate the Tivey’s on our website at knutsfordguardian.co.uk.