The secret to a long marriage? A strong commitment to family and a morning cup of tea.

At least that's the case for one Gravesend couple, who have been celebrating their diamond wedding anniversary.

With cards from both the Duke of Kent and the Queen, they marked the occasion surrounded by family and friends.

John and Valerie Pollitt, of Cornwell Avenue, met as teenagers, before marrying at Milton Church in 1959.

The pair only enjoyed a single day of their honeymoon, as John was stationed abroad with the Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) straight after the big day.

Now 79, he was born and bred in the town, and has lived in the same road all his life - moving from one side to the other as he got older.

He met former Gravesend Grammar School for Girls pupil Valerie, 78, when she was walking her dog aged just 15.

John, then 17, whistled to the dog, and Valerie walked over. The rest, as they say, is history.

After serving as a private, John went on to work as an electrician at Imperial Paper Mills (IPM) in Gravesend.

He then moved on to Cradle Runways in Crayford, fixing window cleaners' cradles on high rise buildings in London.

Now retired, John can now be found most days at his allotment in Central Avenue.

He and Valerie have four children; retired RAF warrant officer David, 59, who now lives in Lincolnshire; dispensing optician Duncan, 58, based in Somerset; Joanne, 57, a midwifery manager at Darent Valley Hospital, Dartford; and Andrea, 56, a chief master sergeant in the US Airforce.

They also have six grandchildren, Luke, Poppy, Rose, Hermione, Gemma and Christopher, and three great-grandchildren, Fraser, Stanley and Olivia.

After celebrating their anniversary on Thursday, February 28 with close family, John and Valerie had a gathering at the Clarendon Royal Hotel, Royal Pier Road, on Friday, March 1.