Banbury couple 'over the moon' to receive card from King Charles III on 60th anniversary

Mike and Valerie Swann had just returned from an anniversary celebration cruise trip to the Canary Islands at the end of March when they discovered the card amongst their post.

Mike said: "We were over the moon and thrilled to bits, as anyone would be; it was very nice to receive something; after all, 60 years is a long time."

The couple met in a cafe in Northampton when they were both teenagers before starting their family life Banbury.

When asked about the secret to a long marriage, Mike said: " It’s like everything else, it's a team job. I have always had terrific support from my wife, from when I was in business in Banbury and right throughout my life."

The couple initially moved to Banbury to support Mike’s job at Pearl Assurance in 1969 and have since become well known around the town for their involvement in local sports.

Valerie, who is commonly known as Val, has been a member of the Banbury Tennis Club for many years and can still be found playing there now.

Mike has also had a long involvement with sports in the town, including sitting on the board at Banbury United for a period, playing for the Banbury Twenty Cricket Club for over 20 years, and captaining the Cherwell Edge Golf Club team for a number of years.

However, Mike is perhaps best known around town for his time in the 70s on the hit BBC game show It’s a Knockout, where he first captained Banbury’s team to success and then was invited to star on the show and its European counterpart Jeux sans frontières as a judge and referee.