A COUPLE from Heybridge will be celebrating their golden wedding anniversary this month.

Christine and Robin Boustred, of Crescent Road, Heybridge, have been married since 1968 and have been living together in the village ever since.

The couple will have been married for 50 years on May 25, and will be celebrating the huge milestone at the Lock Tearooms in Heybridge Basin before flying up to Scotland for a week’s holiday in the highlands and a trip on the Glenfinnan railway.

Christine and Robin, often referred to as Chris and Rob, met when Chris’ brother, Rick Dines, volunteered her to help paint the Mirror dinghy boat that Rob had just built.

They married in 1968 and moved into a new house in Heywood Way, the same house that they had watched being built during their engagement.

They had two children together – daughter Jan, 48, and son Peter, 46.

In 1982, Peter made the decision to join his closest cub group, the First Heybridge Cub Scouts pack.

Rob, who had previously volunteered as an assistant Cub Scout leader at Waltham Cross, went along one evening as a parent helper.

Whilst he was there he was asked to take over as the “Akela (leader), and Chris became his assistant “Baloo”, references to the characters in The Jungle Book.

Annual cub camps and volunteering at a nature reserve were among the many activities enjoyed by the numerous young people who attended their cub pack during the couple’s time there.

Halstead Gazette:

Chris and Rob on their wedding day in 1968

They also got involved in many district events including the Maldon Dengie Doo.

In 2003, Rob and Chris each received a Medal of Merit from scouting headquarters, honouring them for their outstanding service to scouting.

Six years later in 2009, the couple retired from scouting, but have still remained very active.

Throughout the years they have continued to enjoy boating, sailing dinghies for many years, co-owned a narrowboat and are members of The Blackwater Sailing Club with their Seamaster 23 sailing boat.

The couple’s daughter, Jan Jarvis, said: “Mum and dad are a wonderful couple who have been so happy throughout their entire marriage.

“They’re well known in Heybridge and have given so much to the community through the scouts and their sailing. It’s going to be wonderful to celebrate with them.”