Local Couple Tom & Joanne Diggins
Celebrate their Platinum (70th) Wedding Anniversary
Boxing Day 26th December 2006
 
Stella of Heacham-On-Line would like to say congratulations to the happy couple and a big thank you to Malcolm for this feature
 

Joanne and Tom looking at the congratulatory card from The Queen
 

Seventy years ago
Boxing Day 1936

In August 1936 Tom and Joanne (also known as Jo) met. Joanne, knowing it was leap year, decided to pop the question and they were married on Boxing Day the same year.

Tom worked for British Rail as a relief porter and then for most of his life as a porter on Heacham Station. Joanne worked for her mother, Mrs. Beecham, who owned Beecham’s Holiday Camp in Heacham. During the war, they lived in a caravan on the Holiday Camp and in October 1941 their only son, Malcolm, was born. After the war they moved to a house in Poplar Avenue in Heacham where Joanne started up a very successful Guest House. They both worked hard and long hours for many years, but always managed to have an annual holiday in Great Yarmouth where Tom entered the local bowls tournament and Joanne watched him and did her knitting.

They did not find much spare time while living in Poplar Avenue, but then out of the blue they were offered the chance to run the British Rail Gas House Crossing in Hunstanton.  They took the job and were there until the Hunstanton to King’s Lynn Railway line closed in 1969.  When Joanne’s mother died they moved back to Heacham into her bungalow. They were now at retirement age and this is when they started to ‘live’. Tom spending many hours in his vegetable garden and his front garden won ‘Best Garden’ on more than one occasion. Meanwhile Joanne took up bowls and bridge and excelled at both as proven by the many trophies she won. They also found another game to play, bingo. They were regular visitors to the Gala Bingo Club in King’s Lynn, very often going at least 5 nights a week. The bowls and then the bridge for Joanne finished a few years back but the bingo continued until mid 2005. It was at this time they found looking after themselves, even with help every day, just too much. So in November 2005 they moved in with their son and daughter-in-law. Their 70^th wedding anniversary was low key with just the family, which included two of her three grand children and their partners.
 

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