Diamond anniversary is celebrated in Sark

A COUPLE who first locked eyes when they were youngsters returned to their honeymoon island to celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary.

William and Margaret Sutton first visited Sark in 1953 as newlyweds, staying at the Dixcart Hotel.

They recently returned for two weeks.

'It was very special for us to come back to where it all started,' Mrs Sutton, 81, said.

'It was also where I got pregnant with our first child.'

Mr Sutton, 84, added: 'The trip was just as exciting as it was when we came for our honeymoon.'

The couple got married during the coronation of Queen Elizabeth, when Mrs Sutton was 21 and Mr Sutton was 24.

Growing up in Whalley, Lancashire, they had two children – David, now 59, and Karin, 54.

They arrived in Guernsey 60 years ago on a Dakota aircraft and then caught the ferry to Sark.

Mr Sutton, who worked as an engineering manager for ITV before he retired, remembered the former trip well.

'We were supposed to be going on an around-the-island excursion but the weather was just so bad it was cancelled.

'We still had a lovely time, though, and it is something we will never forget.'

The couple said when deciding where to go on their honeymoon they had two options – either a city break in the UK or a holiday on an island.

Mrs Sutton, a retired secretary, said they were pleased they chose Sark.

'We just love visiting islands and Sark is just beautiful.'

During their recent trip, Mr and Mrs Sutton stayed at La Moinerie.

They also went back to the Dixcart Hotel to see what it looked like.

'We hardly recognised it – it had changed so much,' Mr Sutton said.

'Sark was lovely, though, and the weather could not have been better.

'We went for lots of walks and took lots of pictures.'

The pair, who in their spare time sing in a local choir, hope to return to the island in the near future.