Happy diamond anniversary to Derek and Lorna Jebson

Daily love letters from Egypt during the war kept the romance alive between Derek and Lorna Jebson.
Lorna and Derek JebsonLorna and Derek Jebson
Lorna and Derek Jebson

Daily love letters from Egypt during the war kept the romance alive between Derek and Lorna Jebson.Their relationship is as strong as it was then as it is today, as they mark their diamond wedding anniversary.The couple, who live in Withnell Fold, met at a dance at what was the Abbey Village Mill Canteen in the mid 1950s.They married in Abbey Village Methodist Church on March 16 1957.They have two daughters and one grandchild.Their daughter, Carol Noble, said: “My sister, Lesley Stuart, and myself have been very fortunate to witness the diamond wedding anniversaries of firstly my grandparents (Earnest and Suzannah Shackleton who are now deceased) and now my parents. “In both cases their stories of love and devotion to each other have survived many of the challenges that life brought their way and provided them with the opportunities to grow closer together. “Originally meeting in what was Abbey Village Mill Canteen at a dance, my mum and dad made that special connection which kept them together from that day forward and they married in Abbey Village Methodist Church.“They survived through my dad’s military service in the army where he served in Egypt during the Suez Crisis. “During this time he wrote letters to my mum daily so that she would always know that he was thinking of her. To me this will always be one of the grandest gestures and a declaration of his love.”On his return to Chorley, Derek, now 85, set up a joining and building contractor business - DE Jebson - and he built the home they currently live in with his friend John Patefield.Meanwhile, Lorna, now 80, kept herself busy running two ladies boutique stores - Ladyfair of Fenniscliffe, in Feniscliffe and Clitheroe.In the 1950s Derek sold his business to help Lorna with the boutiques.Carol, who lives in Florida, added: “They love Lancashire. “Dad, who has for most of his life been an avid fisherman and mum, who since retiring has become a great watercolour artist have both very much appreciated the beauty of the countryside around them.“They usually celebrate their wedding anniversary each year with a lunch attended by their friend Derek Miller, who was my dad’s best man, and his wife Margaret.”

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