A remarkable West Lothian couple who first got together on a blind date are set to mark an incredible 70 years of marriage.
Leslie and Audrey Wilson, who are aged 93 and 94 years respectively, have lived in Kirkliston for almost their entire married life.
There are very few couples, for obvious reasons, who reach their Platinum Wedding anniversary, but Leslie and Audrey will do exactly that on March 19.
The couple knew each other from a young age and were set up on a blind date by Leslie’s sister, before they tied the knot some five years later during a ceremony in Audrey’s home town. They were married at the Methodist Church in Blyth, Northumberland in 1955.
Leslie said; “We’ve known each other since we were seven and eight years old. I was 23 and Audrey was 24 when we married. Never in my wildest dreams did I think we’d be married for 70 years.”
A family reunion was considered to mark the magnificent marriage milestone but the couple are not in the best of health at the moment, so it’s been put on hold for the time being.
A farmer all his working life, Leslie worked on farms in Fife until he found a job at Milrig Farm, Kirkliston where as a dairyman he worked for 16 years. He then moved into pig farming until he retired.
The couple moved to Kirkliston in 1958 after Leslie secured work there. He had originally travelled north to Scotland as a teenager on his motorbike for a holiday but was offered a job on a farm in Kinross and decided to stay.
Audrey worked in an electrical components factory in Blyth at the time, but they continued with a four-year long-distance relationship with Leslie travelling back and forth every couple of months on his motorbike.
Eventually, Audrey made the move north too and they’ve been together ever since.
The motorbike had a sidecar added as they started a family, but eventually it had to go when the family outgrew it.
“I gave the motorbike up when my son David was born,” Leslie admits. “We had two children in the sidecar, but then it was too small. So I changed to a car. I’d travelled everywhere on a motorbike until then.”
They would have four children; Ruth, who is now 68 years old, Mary, 67, David, 64 , who all live within easy travelling distance and Grace, 60, who emigrated to Canada in 1992.
When they were children the family would enjoy holidays in the UK, mainly in Oban, and Ayr, and in the Lake District.
“Mum had four of us to look after but she also helped on the farm, we all mucked in on the farm,” David said. “But my Dad always made sure we got a holiday every year”
The couple now have eight grandchildren, 10 great grandchildren, and a great-great grandson. The family also boasts two sets of twins.
Leslie and Audrey still live independently in the same house in the village they’ve called home for the last 50 years.
After retiring, Leslie enjoyed spending more time on his hobbies of photography and woodturning – making clocks, bowls and pens, which he displayed and sold at the community church’s Christmas craft fair. He also has a life long passion for gardening.
“When we were young he always had his camera with him, and loved taking photos,” David recalled.
His mum Audrey was also creative and would make birthday and greetings cards, as well as knitting.
They’ve also enjoyed several coach holidays in the UK and abroad.
The church and being part of the local community always played a big part in the life of Leslie and Audrey and they put their long and happy marriage down to their faith, family, and love for each other.
“I’m not one for giving up,” said Leslie. “First and foremost we both have our faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the centre of our life.
“Secondly, there’s our love for each other, it’s never wavered. We’re still as much in love with each other now as we were at the start. There are no secrets and we do everything together, and make decisions together. And of course, our family.”
David added: “My parents Christian faith has been their guiding light all their lives, and we as a family are deeply indebted to the Kirkliston Community Church for the support and fellowship they give to Mum and Dad.”
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