Getting to the church on time was very much Clifford Dent’s priority 60 years ago.
An overnight snowstorm left the roads in Teesdale virtually impassable on April 2, 1966.
And, before tying the knot with his bride-to-be June Wallis in Brignall, the groom had to get from Haithwaite, his parents’ farm near Barningham, up to Lunedale to get his jobs done at Stackholme, where the newlyweds would spend their first four years of married life.
Looking back, Clifford and June still vividly remember the dramatic events of their memorable wedding day.
The couple, who now live in Middleton, received a card from the King on Tuesday and celebrated their diamond anniversary, taking a trip down memory by enjoying a meal and overnight stay at The Morritt, where their wedding meal took place in 1966.
But did Clifford get to the church on time? “He was an hour late!” confirmed June.
Clifford said: “I had to go up to Stackholme to do my work on the morning of the wedding but the weather was terrible, it was absolutely dreadful.
“I got stuck a few times, there were no four-wheel drives in those days, I was driving an A60 pick up and I filled the back with chippings to weigh it down.
“I was on my way to do my jobs when the fanbelt went at Greta Bridge! Walter Watson had a garage there and he didn’t have a spare fanbelt so he got his wife’s nylons and made one out of them!”
Meanwhile, at Birk Hall Farm, Brignall, 18-year-old June was wondering where her husband-to-be had got to.
“The wedding was at 11am so he was cutting it very fine,” she recalled. “There was only me, my dad and my uncle left at home, everyone else was at the church.
“I rang Haithwaite and when his mother answered I asked, ‘Why are you still there?’ and she said, ‘Clifford hasn’t got back from Stackholme yet’.
“He eventually rang me when he got back home and I was finally able to set off to the church.”
That wasn’t the end to the drama, though, because June’s wedding dress had a train and the path up to the door at St Mary’s Church, in Brignall, was covered in snow and slush.
“Dad carried me in because of all the snow,” she said. “There hadn’t been any snow all winter and then it started at teatime on the Friday.
“The wedding went ahead an hour late, everybody was freezing in church and we missed our flight to Jersey for the honeymoon!”
All’s well that ends well, however, because Clifford and June were able to rearrange their travel plans and flew to Jersey the following day.
Clifford celebrated his 22nd birthday in Jersey but the young couple were back at Stackholme in time for lambing, which had been the plan all along.
They had three sons – Andrew, Malcolm and Philip – and made the short move from Stackholme to Wyse Hill Farm, which is situated on the Pennine Way in Lunedale.
With so many walkers passing their door, June, who trained as a nurse before her marriage, began a bed and breakfast business in 1970, which she ran for 30 years.
“It was hard work but we met so many people,” she said.
“We started off with Pennine Way walkers and we made lots of friends.”
In 2000, their son Malcolm and his wife Eileen swapped homes with Clifford and June, who settled into life in Middleton.
They have remained extremely active since leaving Lunedale with Clifford regularly visiting Wyse Hill to help on the farm while June is involved in several clubs.
They have six grandchildren and a great-grandson.
“We have a lovely family, we’ve had good health, it’s all down to good luck really,” said June, who helped run Teesdale Day Clubs for many years.
“We’ve been very fortunate in life, added Clifford.
So just what is the secret to a successful marriage?
“We’re both easy going, neither of us has a temper and we’ve always got on really well,” answered June.
