A COUPLE who put their long and happy marriage down to tolerance, love, and respect, are celebrating their platinum wedding anniversary.

Four generations of the family will gather at the home of Jack and Dorothy (Dolly) Hutchinson, of Rayrigg Gardens, Windermere, for a party to celebrate the 70-year milestone, on Sunday.

The couple were married at the Gospel Hall, in Bowness. They met when Mrs Hutchinson came to Windermere to work as housemaid to Mr Milne, at Broadleys, now the Windermere Motor Boat Racing Club.

Mr Hutchinson was an apprentice engineer at Borwicks Boatbuilders at the time. When the war started, Mrs Hutchinson worked on the land near Penrith. Bowicks was engaged in admirality work, so Mr Hutchinson was not required for military service for some time. After their marriage, Mrs Hutchinson went to work at the Windermere Steam Laundry, while her husband went into the Royal Navy and worked on the service, and repair, of submarines.

After the war, he returned to the boatbuilding industry until the firm was sold in 1972. He worked at the W.A. Fells engineering works until he retired in 1988.

While at Borwicks, Mr Hutchinson was involved with the world water speed records of Donald Campbell, and local speed ace Norman Buckley, and in 1965 played a major part in the founding of the Lake District Boat Club.

The couple have one daughter, Sheila, two grandchildren, Ruth, 36, and Matthew, 33, and they each have two children.