Rawmarsh couple’s happy golden wedding – despite storm chaos

Emilio and Jane Dauden met in his native Spain in 1969, when she was there for two months to improve her language skills before studying Spanish.

The couple were married at St Alban’s Church in Wickersley on October 22, 1973, after which they lived in Spain before returning to the UK in 1976.

Emilio (75) said: “I was trying to get married on my wife’s birthday but my mother-in-law said look at this: for the rest of your life only one present!

“In the end, we married on the 22nd and Jane’s birthday is the 20th, so we were nearly there! But it means we have a celebration for a week!

“The Valentine’s Day card I got for her in the first year was really fancy. I was told that was a mistake because I would have to do something like that everytime.

“But actually, we give the same cards every Valentine’s, Christmas and birthdays, because love is not what you give in cards, it’s what you do together every day.”

Plans to mark the couple’s 50th anniversary were thrown off course by Storm Babet – but ended happily.

“We were going to a particular show in Leeds, but there had been a lot of rain and places were closing,” said Emilio, of Rawmarsh

“We just looked at local places, and we were able to get in at Bothy’s at Wentworth Garden Centre. In my 30 years of catering, I’ve never seen such dedicated staff as in that restaurant. They really had the wow factor.

“Even though we lost money on the tickets for Leeds, I don’t think we could have had better. It was amazing.”

Emilio, a retired milkman, still organises charity food events. He said: “I do them for whoever comes knocking. I like to be able to help.”