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Lanarkshire couple who bonded over badminton are still a perfect match 60 years on

Lanarkshire couple who bonded over badminton are still a perfect match 60 years on

Daily Record11-07-2025
Martin and Winnie Smith first met while playing the sport in the early 1960s, and were married in the town's South Parish Church on July 2, 1965.
An East Kilbride couple who met on the badminton court are still the perfect match 60 years later.
Martin and Winnie Smith first met while playing the sport in the early 1960s, and were married in the town's South Parish Church on July 2, 1965, with the reception at the Torrance Hotel in the Village.

Martin worked at Rolls-Royce while Winnie was a maths teacher at Claremont High School for many years.

The couple have two daughters, Fiona and Lynn, and two grandchildren, Ross and Cara.
When they were young, Ross and Cara were up every day before and after school, demanding "magic cut" apples, toast and the "house special" - noodles. Now they are always on call as chauffeurs and tech support.
Although they met playing badminton, their real passion has always been sailing.
On their yacht, Freelance, they've sailed all up and down the west coast of Scotland.
When they are not out sailing, they enjoy tending their garden or playing bridge.

Joining them at their home in East Kilbride to help them celebrate their diamond wedding anniversary was South Lanarkshire's Provost Margaret Cooper, who presented the couple with flowers and a certificate on behalf of the council.
And Deputy Lieutenant for Lanarkshire, Dr William Morrison Young, was also on hand to present them with a certificate from King Charles to mark their achievement.
If you would like the Provost to attend a diamond wedding or 100th birthday please get in touch with the Provost's Office.
*Don't miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here.
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