Frank and Anita Milford, Britain’s longest living married couple, have celebrated their 81st Wedding Anniversary.
They were married on 26th May 1928.
Frank is 101 and Anita will be 101 next month. In February they will break the record to become the longest married couple in Britain.

They have two children, five grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.

Their oldest son, said the secret of his parents’ wedded bliss was simply being happy with each other.

“They’ve enjoyed themselves… enjoyed their lives very much,” he said.

We’ve added a new range of anniversary gifts to our website this month.

The Silver (25th) Mother of Pearl (30th) Ruby, (40th) and Gold (50th) Wedding Anniversary Albums have been created to help you celebrate these milestone anniversarys with a gift that is appropriate to the occasion.

Ideal as a present to a couple - these beautifully created albums can be filled with the memories and achievements of their years together.
A gift that can be viewed on many occasions and shared with family and friends.

We’ve added some new gifts to the site for the start of 2009.
It’s our second year of trading and we’re keen to increase our range so that we can offer as wide a choice as possible.

The new anniversary presents include a fanastic leather bag from an ethical co-operative in Rajasthan.  It’s beautiful and stylish and would make a perfect Leather Wedding Anniversary Gift.
We also have a handsomely designed Bristish Isles Map cushion which would make a fine addition to any room and is an ideal Wool Wedding Anniversary Gift.
Another ethical gift is the Mowani Silver Photo Album made from recycled acid-free cotton paper and natural acid free interleaves.  An elegant Cotton Wedding Anniversary Gift.

Check out our What’s New section on the ‘Home’ page of the main website to see the new gift ideas and we hope the tales of gloom aren’t putting you off what could be a fantastic new year ahead.

All the best for 2009.

A new law introduced in England yesterday makes it easier for couples to have their wedding service in a church where they have a family or special connection.

Previously, couples wishing to marry in a Church had to attend it regularly or live within the Parish.
If they wished to marry in another parish, they required a special licence or six months regular attendance there.

Now couples can marry anywhere they have lived for six months or where their parents or grandparents were married.

The Church of England has introduced a marriage measure law that opens up over 16,000 churches to couples and puts this change down to the increasing mobility of society, with many people moving away from the areas where they grew up.

Figures released from the Office of National Statitics (ONS) for 2007 show the number of couples getting a divorce (in England & Wales) has dropped to the lowest rate for 26 years.

Divorce figures fell for a third consecutive year, (132,562 couples divorced last year) and now stand at the lowest level since 1981.

Unfortunately, this decrease in England and Wales was set against rising numbers in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The ONS said this rise could be due to the reduced periods couples are required to be separated before divorcing in these countries.

Marriage guidance group Relate, has stated that a growing number of couples were fighting to save their marriages. People are marrying later in life and are more aware of what they want from marriage and are of a generation that has seen the effects of parents and friends getting a divorce. They know how it can affect children and so think more carefully about the relationships before turning to divorce.

The 10th wedding anniversary is a true milestone, and we receive lots of enquires about what to give on this special occasion. The perfect answer is, of course, something made of tin, but what?

For those of us living in the UK, there is nothing quite as special as Cornish Tin, which is why we have just added a small, but perfectly formed range of beautiful, yet affordable 10th Anniversary Gifts crafted from this special metal.

For wives, we have a choice of heart-shaped earrings, a tin heart necklace and a stunning bracelet. For husbands, we have a pair of polished oval tin cufflinks. All presented in leatherette giftboxes lined with satin and velvet.

We will be adding to this collection over the coming months, but in the meantime, hope that those of you celebrating your 10th wedding anniversary will find that this helps you make your life a bit easier when it comes to choosing that special present.

We’ve just added a new gift to our range of products that has been designed exclusively for the Anniversary Present.

The Silver Lace Pendant

The Silver Lace Pendant is handmade in sterling silver and embossed with a lace motif to create a beautiful pattern across the heart of the pendant.
Threaded through a classic chain (length 40cm) this item makes a perfect romantic gift for a Silver or Lace Anniversary Present

To view more pictures and information please click on the following link to be taken to the product page on our website.

We’ve added a range of Personalised Anniversary Gifts to our site this month.
These include Silver cufflinks and Champagne flutes, Crystal glasses and Steel and Leather hipflasks.

Not only have these added to our range of silver, crystal and Leather Anniversary gifts, but they also allow customers to personalise presents with a memorable engraving.

We hope these additions provide you with some inspiration!

Whether it’s for a special occasion, a wedding anniversary, or to celebrate something you did together - we’ve selected 5 top ways to show someone you care:

1) Send them Flowers.
There’s nothing to beat receiving a fresh, fragrant bouquet of flowers, especially if its a surprise and you can always select from a wide varety of choices - from a traditional roses to a seasonal blooms. You can find local flourists on the internet or try some of the collection on The Anniversary Present Website, by clicking here.
A top tip would be to surprise them with a bunch sent to their workplace.

2) Song Dedication.
A lot of local radio stations offer dedications to a loved ones, allowing you to ring, text or write in. If your partner does have a favourite station, it would be a great surprise for them to hear their favourite tune - especially if it has a lot of meaning.
The most popular national radio station for this is Steve Wright’s Sunday Love Songs on Radio 2 from 09:00-1100 and the above link shows you how to contact the show.

3) Let them eat Cake.
Order them their favourite sweet dish and add a dedication of your love.
There are numerous local shops which offer this service, which can be found on the internet and fav’s we have tried include Konditor and Cook, Peyton & Byrne and of course our local Charlottes Chocolates.

4) Treat them to a surprise Meal.
Take them somewhere different, but plan it well and book either a place they’ve always wanted to go or somewhere with good reputation.

A link to our affiliate partner Toptable is available where you can read reviews of thousands of restaurants and book on-line.

5) Comission a poem for them.
A unique gift of words to be treasured. There are numerous poets that can be contacted on-line and they offer the opportunity to bring to life words we rarely use to say the things we often feel. We’ve offered a link to Charlie Jordan Birmingham’s Poet Laureate and Jane Holland of Warwick who can be contacted to undertake commissions.

We’ve received a new present which would make a great 9th Wedding Anniversary Gift - Pottery.

The Red Hot Chocolatiere Gift Set has been created especially for warming up those cold Winter nights and the ceramic heart pot is perfect as a traditional Anniversary Present.

The boxed set includes an 8 Cup ceramic chocolatiere pot decorated with a heart with two matching cups and saucers.
A sachet of chilli drinking chocolate completes the collection.

Click here for further details.