A couple who were the first to get married at a makeshift church in Kent have returned to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary.

Patricia and William O'Connor, who met when they became flatmates 53 years ago, will renew their vows at St Thomas of Canterbury Church in Headcorn today.

The pair are both from New Zealand – William was born and bred, with Patricia having an English father.

Patricia and her sister were part of a flat share in Finchley, North London, which had a small vacant room.

In 1971, William had just arrived from New Zealand after a 36-day journey and needed a place to stay. The rest is history.

The 79-year-old said: “I never thought I'd travel out of the country at all. I didn't know anybody here.

“We knew nothing about London apart from the Queen, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and the River Thames.

“I came with a mate just on a dare. We'd taken two years' leave from our jobs and then would go back to teaching.

“That was my plan initially but it never happened.”

The pair were friends for a year until they started dating and just another year later William popped the question.

Patricia, 75, added: “It was no big fancy proposal. He did it as we walked home from having been out one evening.

“I said yes – so we obviously loved each other enough to want to do it!”

Her parents Joyce and Bob Wadsworth lived in Headcorn for around a year while teaching at a school in Ashford.

Both are Catholic and would go to church every Sunday and often during the week.

Patricia stayed with them and got to know the area very well, eventually deciding to get married there.

On July 20, 1974, the couple exchanged vows at St Thomas of Canterbury Church.

Despite having been built for about five years, it had only recently been registered for marriages.

“It was actually quite a small wedding,” Patricia said. “It was mostly my family and a few of our friends.

“The church was almost like a prefab classroom. It was just a tiny building that they put up there.

“We had a New Zealand priest who married us. He was a friend of Bill's sisters and we started chatting to him while he was doing a course in London.”

Although their parents paid for the wedding, Patricia remembers her dress cost £21.

“It was very plain and simple,” she added. “It was long and white with a sort of cloaky bit around the top that had lace on the edges.

“My mum and I bought some material to make a veil to match the lace that I had on my dress.”

The pair went on to become teachers – William specialising in secondary school maths and Patricia working in both primary and nursery settings.

During their 50 years together they have travelled extensively throughout Europe, America, South America and Antarctica, as well as many trips to Australia and New Zealand.

Patricia and William went on to have four children and seven grandchildren, with one more on the way.

And their secret to a long and happy marriage? They say it is patience and love.

“Probably the most important thing is love, which gives you forgiveness, patience and all sorts of things,” Patricia explained.

“We feel that an important part of our marriage is faith because we're both Catholic and we've always been part of the church community wherever we've lived.

“We're also very lucky to have four wonderful daughters.”

Around 25 friends and family will be flying over and driving down to Headcorn today, where the couple are set to renew their vows.

One of their daughters, Trish Saunders, has been organising the reunion and says she loves how they met “purely by chance”.

“I think the key thing is there were so many things that had to happen for them to end up together,” she said.

“There are just so many lovely parts of the story that click together like this little puzzle.”

She added: “I think their marriage is a beautiful example of friendship, patience, joy and togetherness, and they extend this to so many around them.

“They are truly wonderful and we are so proud of them.”