£750 anniversary cash is perfect pearl of a gift
Couple ask for charity donations instead of presents
A kind- hearted couple celebrated their pearl wedding anniversary by giving back to charity.
Jean and Gordon Smith marked 30 happy years together by hosting a party with friends and family at the Erskine Bowling Club.
And rather than bringing gifts, the selfless pair asked guests to make a donation to Cancer Research UK instead.
Thanks to the generosity of their friends and collections made in charity buckets placed on tables at the event, the couple, who stay in Erskine, managed to raise £760 for the cancer awareness charity.
They met with volunteers from CRUK to present them them with a cheque for the sum on Saturday.
It’s a cause which is close to the family’s heart, as Jean lost both parents to lung cancer within two years of each other.
Jean, 52, said: “I lost my mum Liz in 2014 and my dad Billy passed away last year.
“It was horrendous. We had six weeks notice before my mum died.
“Losing both parents to cancer was like a double dunt. It brought home how horrible a disease it is.
“We do all we can to support cancer research. We make monthly payments to charity, but we wanted to do something extra on top of that – that’s when we decided to make our anniversary party for charity.
“It was a great day and everyone was so generous, which was brilliant.”
Jean and Gordon, 53, who have two children and one grandchild, regularly do their bit to raise funds for good causes.
Jean, who works in recruitment, challenged herself to walk 100 miles on a treadmill in January, as well as completing the Kiltwalk all in the name of the charity.
She was inspired to raise funds while keeping healthy after suffering a heart attack last year.
“Doing it for a good cause is what drives you,” she said.
“Not only does it raise funds for charity but it keeps me fit too, which is so important.
“And I get a lot of support from Gordon and my family. My family are my world.”
It was love at first sight for Gordon and Jean, who met as teens and have been together since 1981.
The pair, who are keen golfers, are going on holiday to celebrate reaching their 30-year milestone later this year.
Jean added: “We do a lot together and we like to keep ourselves young.
“We have a lot of great memories and have been through a lot of ups and downs.
“But Gordon still manages to make me laugh and that’s the important thing.”