Surprise party for 65th wedding anniversary couple

A LOCAL couple have celebrated their blue sapphire wedding anniversary.

Maurice and Mary Glover, who are both 87 years old, were married 65 years ago on October 28, 1961 at St Mary’s Church in Morchard Bishop and had their reception in the Memorial Hall.

The pair’s family and friends threw them a surprise party at The London Inn in the village on Wednesday, October 28, 2026 to mark the occasion.

The couple also received a letter from His Majesty King Charles III and Her Majesty Queen Camilla in the post congratulating them.

Mr Glover was born in North Tawton and grew up in Lapford. Mrs Glover was born and raised in Morchard Bishop.

The couple met at a dance in Morchard Bishop when they were just 18 years old.

Their first date was a scramble meeting at Smallbrooke, which they travelled to in an Austin 10.

Mr and Mrs Glover both went to Chulmleigh School. Mr Glover left school at the age of 15 in 1954 and worked at Ambrosia in Lapford. He went on to do carpentry with Harry Hutchings.

A keen sportsman, he played cricket for Ambrosia and football for Lapford AFC, Winkleigh and Dolton.

He signed up for National Service with the Devon and Dorsets and started training in May 1960 at Topsham Barracks, flying out to Cyprus in September that year. He came home in 1961.

After National Service, he briefly returned to Ambrosia before going to work for Keith Bedford and then Trevor Burrows, building The Waie Inn at Zeal Monachorum, before going self-employed, working with Ian Sandercock and John Stoyle building many houses and bungalows in the Mid Devon area.

From the ages of 10 to 15 he delivered milk with Bill Manning to Morchard and Lapford. He also worked for Bill Lyndon, a calf dealer, building sheds for the calves.

Mrs Glover left school at the age of 15. In 1954, she worked for J Wippell and Co Ltd sewing ecclesiastical church embroidery.

She used to catch the bus from Morchard Bishop to Exeter to get to work. She also worked for Jennifer Knapp making dresses and coats and for Vicky Mills at Gilhouse sewing oven gloves.

Other jobs she had included potato picking and tilling, turkey plucking, cleaning houses and working in the shop at Zeal Monachorum.

After they were married, the pair went on honeymoon to Torquay for two days.

Their first home was 1 High Cott, Zeal Monachorum which they eventually sold before moving into a caravan while they built their new home, Fairview at Zeal Monachorum.

They later sold Fairview and moved into another caravan and a large wooden shed while they built Torview, Zeal Monachorum where they lived for 28 years.

Mr Glover then built another bungalow, this time at Morchard Bishop, where he did all the building work himself in the evenings and at weekends.

In 1996 he built their last bungalow at Copplestone, where they live today.

Mr and Mrs Glover have two children, three grandchildren and fostered four children.