FOR 32 years Clive and June Jones ran Venn's Electrical on Crediton High Street, retiring five years ago.

They were married at St Mary's Church, Hayes, Middlesex on October 8, 1960.

June was born at Uxbridge and from school took an apprenticeship with EMI to become a mechanical design draughtsman. "At that time it was quite an unusual job for a woman. It was me and 50 fellas," said June.

"Engineering has always been in my blood. I used to like stripping down car engines, working on them with them with my father."

Clive was born in New Delhi, where his father was in the Army and they came to England when Clive was three years old.

From school, Clive began his training as an electrical engineer and then spent three years with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, serving for half of that in Kenya and the Middle East.

Back on civvy street, Clive joined EMI as an electronic technician. He and June met through the Operatic and Dramatic Society in Hillingdon, Middlesex in January 1960.

June usually worked on creating the costumes, Clive would help mainly backstage as well as being a member of the chorus.

For the first 13 years of their marriage they lived in Basingstoke, Hampshire, and became very active helpers in the Scout movement.

They came to Crediton in 1973 to take over Venn's. June had family living in the area and having a shop seemed a natural progression. Then, Miss Searle's sweet shop was next door. When she retired Clive and June eventually bought that shop to make the one big premises at 26 and 27 High Street.

At Crediton one of their biggest jobs was in 1980 when the International Scout and Guide Jamboree took over Lords Meadow.

"I'd be out with June's father, Jack Gardiner, delivering gas bottles around the site from about 6am to 9pm through the two weeks of the Jamboree. We had 10,000 Scouts and Guides camping. It was a great time," said Clive.

Since their retirement in February 2005, Clive and June have been working on their home, building an extension for Jack, and getting the garden as they want it. Jack died this January aged 103 and a half.

They have two children - Alan and Gillian - and four grandchildren. One surprise for June was their son coming home from Brazil for the celebrations. The family party, organised by their daughter, had been kept secret, too.

Next day they shared another celebration with their good friends Cyril and Olive Milburn of Torrington who were married on the same day five years earlier. About 25 people were at this party at their home, including Cyril and Olive's daughter and son-in-law Chris who now live in Hereford. They also have a son who lives in Torrington. They have four grandchildren.

They moved to Torrington 40 years ago from the Lake District to take over a shop selling clothes for men and women. Curiously, this was one of the shops Clive and June looked at before they bought Venn's. Cyril and Olive closed the shop in 1976.

However, it was not until 11 years ago when both couples were on holiday in the same hotel in Scotland that they met again, becoming firm friends. They still live in Torrington.

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