Shrewsbury couple celebrate 60 years of marriage with letter from the Queen
Despite living with a diagnosis of dementia and a disability, a couple from Shropshire have never been closer as they celebrate 60 years of marriage.
Keith and Binnie Goodman, from Bayston Hill, were married on August 11, 1962 and have marked their Diamond anniversary this week.
The pair met in Stourbridge, where they were both originally from, and courted for approximately 18 months before they eventually tied the knot.
The couple's two children, David Goodman and Kerry Mason, wrote to Her Majesty the Queen to request a telegram for her parent's anniversary.
Kerry said that her father was 'over the moon' to have received the letter on Wednesday morning, which came in a beautiful cream envelope.
Although Keith and Binnie have been through some trying times – after Keith had an accident abroad in 1981 leaving him unable to walk unaided and Binnie was diagnosed with Alzheimer's dementia in January of 2020 – this has only brought them closer.
Kerry said that the two are like 'cat and dog' but are very much dependent on one another: "Under the circumstances it's fantastic they've made it.
"60 years through thick and thin. We wish them a very happy anniversary from all the family."
After their wedding in 1962, the couple moved to Bayston Hill for the purposes of Keith's work.
He spent his career as an engineer in the steel and iron industry, while Binnie took on a few jobs at the old Fox Inn and in later years at Shropshire Council.
Keith retired from his job at age 64, when he turned his hand to fundraising.
He began his second career in 2004, when he responded to a poster in Meole Brace Church looking for a fundraiser to secure the funds to build a new community centre.
Since then he became a star fundraiser, raising a staggering £500,000 to build Trinity Centre in Meole Brace and more than £300,000 for The Ark in Shrewsbury.
Kerry has organised a low-key party for the couple to celebrate their special day.
