MARRIED for 50 years last Saturday (December 4), Mike and Jean May have lived in Crediton for all their married lives and are in only their second home together.

They were married at Sandford Parish Church on December 4, 1971. It would have been Upton Hellions but they did not think everyone would fit in and parking could have been a problem.

Jean’s maiden name is Northcote, she has a brother in Sandford. She jokes that she was born in Devon but lived over the border in Cornwall, near Red Post near Bude.

In 1962 her family moved to Crediton for her father’s work, He was a cowman. Jean went to school at what was then the new Shelley School, now QE Lower School at Barnfield, where Oliver Rigby was the first head.

From school, Jean worked at H B Todd and Son in the High Street at Crediton, until she had their first child.

Mike was born in Crewkerne, Somerset where his father was working at the time. After two or three years the family returned to Devon, Mike going to school in Tedburn St Mary, then the family moved to Bow and Mike finished schooling at Chagford.

His first job was with Edworthy’s of Bow making concrete blocks to start with, then driving a lorry. This was followed by a time driving buses for Bow Belle before he joined what was then the Milk Marketing Board at Crediton.

He worked there until he retired after 41 years, first driving the churn lorries and then tankers. He remembers with the churns especially, the milk would still be warm in the mornings.

He and Jean have two children - Ian and Sue. About the time their eldest was beginning at QE, Jean began working there part time as a meal time assistant for 20 years, then becoming care co-ordinator one day a week at Age Concern at the Lady Mills Centre on Deep Lane.

“That was wonderful, I enjoyed it so much I never looked on it as a job,” she said. Sue was already a Brownie at Crediton. “They wanted to start another Pack. Brown Owl and Tawny Owl were Audrey Hill and Barbara Roberts.

“I volunteered to help, became Brown Owl and was with the Brownies for 16 years,” said Jean. She remembered that both Audrey and Barbara worked at the doctors’ surgery on The Lynch, Union Terrace. The surgery later moved to the purpose-built Newcombes Surgery, now closed.

When she left Brownies, Jean joined the Trefoil Guild and was chairman at one time. The Guild meets once a month at the Guide HQ on Lords Meadow.

Jean enjoys gardening, walking and crafts. “I love making all sorts of things in craft. I used to make the children’s clothes when they were little,” she added.

Jean now helps at the Memory Cafe at the Lady Mills Centre.

For Mike, joining Crediton branch Royal British Legion was a bit of a fluke, he drove the blue mini bus for Crediton Community Transport. “One time they told me, you keep driving us about, you might as well join. So I did,” he said.

In 2014 he took over as Standard Bearer from Arnold Vosper who was branch chairman and although Arnold represented Devon at the Royal Albert Hall as Standard Bearer, Mike never has.

Mike is now vice chairman of the Crediton branch RBL and is a Churchwarden at Crediton Parish Church.

On Saturday they had a family party at Spreyton. With Ian and Sue they have three grand daughters.