Ipswich couple who met as pen pals celebrate 50th anniversary

A couple who were teenage pen pals are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary.

Paul and Maggie Cook in Kesgrave, Suffolk, began writing to each other in 1969, at just 19 and 15 years old.

The pair were engaged after meeting four times and married at St Margaret's Church in Ipswich in 1973.

Avid football fan Paul, who had visited England's 92 professional football grounds by the age of 19, initially wanted to find fellow fans abroad.

He moved house after his pen pal advert appeared in Shoot magazine, but he said: "My old landlord turned up three months later with a great pile of letters.

"In the middle was one from a girl in Ipswich who had no interest whatsoever in football."

Maggie recalled sending off for pen pal lists while in school.

"We used to get 10 sheets for £1. I used to write to the boys and one was Paul," she said.

Paul recalled: "I wrote back to her and the letters flowed."

But after writing to each other for about two years, a postal strike prevented their written communication.

Paul "took the plunge" and phoned Maggie, inviting her to visit him in Kent.

On the day of their wedding Paul had a chance meeting with footballer Derek Dougan - the former Northern Ireland and Wolverhampton Wanderers striker - who offered him two match tickets if Paul ducked out of the nuptials.

Luckily, Paul declined.

"Derek Dougan lost the match but I won the best wife I could have wished for," he said.

Maggie mused: "We've had our ups and down, and we just give and take."

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