Zoom 'party' for Valley couple celebrating their Golden Wedding Anniversary in lockdown

Unfortunately, due to lockdown, Dornan Frederick Edgar (77) and his 69-year-old wife, Pamela Beatrice's plans will now be restricted to a family Zoom call and a special three-course take-away meal at their home to mark five decades of wedded bliss, instead of a grand celebration as originally planned.

The devoted couple met at The Dog and Partridge, in Barrow, where Pamela was having drinks with her cousin, Caroline, and Dornan was lodging as part of the team from Alfred McAlpine, who at the time were building the Clitheroe bypass.

The couple fell in love and married on January 30th, 1971 at Clitheroe Registry Office, enjoying a wedding reception at The Dog and Partridge where they first met. The newlyweds honeymooned at Keeper's Cottage, in Old Langho, and they rented a house in Rochdale, before buying their first home on Pasturelands Drive in Billington in 1973.

The pair are blessed with two children - Matthew (42) who is married to Hayley Bloomfield and Helen (39). They have three grandchildren Bethany (8), four-year-old Rory and 18-month-old Harper.

Dornan was born in Carlisle in 1944 to William Howard Edgar and his wife, Joyce. He was raised in and around Carlisle with his older sister and five younger siblings. Meanwhile, Pamela was born in Preston in 1951 to Ernest Vernon Odell and his wife, Dorothy, who lived in Whalley. Pamela was brought up in Whalley with her younger sister.

Dornan used to work in the offices for Alfred McAlpine, before transferring to Burnley Borough Council. He then went to work at Calderstones. Pamela used to work for a bank before going to the finance office at Calderstones where she later became a nursing assistant and then an NVQ assessor.

Travelling and eating ice-cream with their grandchildren is a hobby they both continue to enjoy. They have spent the years since their retirement travelling around Europe and in more recent years, exploring Britain. They are planning more trips when lockdown restrictions are lifted.

In her spare time, Pamela is an avid knitter and family history researcher, while Dornan likes day trips to the Fylde Coast and walking on the promenades, as well as the occasional flutter on the horses.

When asked the secret to their long and happy marriage, their daughter, Helen, replied: "They are both very independent, but I think that it's their enduring friendship and unconditional support and encouragement for each other that's ensured that they have grown as people, as a couple and as a family and I know that they wouldn't know what to do without each other."