Ledbury chip shop couple celebrate 68 years of marriage

John and Janet Jones marked their milestone anniversary on 22 March.  

The couple ran the Y Pass fish and chip shop on The Homend in Ledbury from 1964 to 1989. They worked with teenagers from the town to serve customers who were queuing  down the alley.  

“It was a highlight of Ledbury. Everyone wanted to work there because they were so good to their staff,” said Sharon Brace, the couple’s niece.  

They still own the building, and when they handed over the management to a third party, John gave them tips on how to cook the batter.  

Now 89, John was 17 and Janet, now 87, was 16 when they met. She was walking through Ledbury with a friend, and they both liked the look of John.  

The happy couple arranged a date. John asked Janet to meet him inside the cinema, so that she would have to pay for her ticket, so the family’s running joke goes. 

In the present day, when asked for the secret to their happy, lasting marriage, Janet said that they had simply “always agreed” on the important things, and “never really fallen out”.  

John is a member of the Royal British Legion where he “used to spend many a happy hour with friends”, and a familiar face around the town where he has lived for most of his life, despite originally being from Malvern.  

“It is a wonderful achievement. They love Ledbury and they would never want to live anywhere else,” said Belinda Davis, their daughter.