Golden Wedding celebrations for devoted Rugby couple

Jackie - née Williams - and Mike Hinks, of Main Street, Frankton, met in February 1962 at the Playfair Dance Hall above Burtons in High Street, Rugby.

They were taking part in ballroom dancing lessons and Mike was an engineering apprentice at the AEI and Jackie was still at Dunsmore Grammar School.

They were married on March 5 1966 at St Mark’s Church, Bilton, by Canon Joe Partridge, on a brilliantly sunny day, when Bilton Green was at its colourful best.

By this time Mike was a design draughtsman at Standard Triumph in Coventry and Jackie was a proof reader’s assistant at the Rugby Advertiser.

Jackie said: “The day before the wedding Mike left the office with a heavy ball and chain on his ankle, there was no stag-night party, but his colleagues didn’t let him off lightly.

“The general manager at the Advertiser - John Rodgers - came to give me his best wishes and asked if perhaps I was a little young, at 19, to be getting married.

“It seems that he wasn’t the only one who thought we were making a mistake; both sets of parents had made no secret of their views!”

The wedding itself was not without incident, the florist couldn’t provide the requested flowers and a quick rethink was necessary on Friday lunchtime; half of the bottom tier of the wedding cake disappeared and the couple were stopped by the police on the motorway driving to the Lake District for their honeymoon because there were
L-plates on the car.

Jackie and Mike lived in Bilton until 1998 when they moved to Frankton and in 2002 Mike retired from his job as senior HR manager at Land Rover in Gaydon, having served 39 years in the motor industry.

Jackie has worked in various jobs after being made redundant in 1967 when Advertiser print production ceased in Rugby – and has been involved in a range of voluntary work.

They have a married son, Travis, who runs his own canine hydrotherapy clinic.