Tea for two again at Bettys for 'lucky in love' couple

But Lady Luck was obviously smiling on Mr Lee as the result took him to York way back in 1958 – where he met his future wife on only his second night in the city.

Mr Lee and his wife of 50 years, Margaret, yesterday celebrated their golden wedding anniversary with a party at Bettys Caf Tea Rooms in York, which was the venue they chose for the reception after their nuptials.

But for the flick of a coin, the couple would almost certainly have never met.

Mr Lee was stationed in Devon while serving as a sergeant in the Army as part of his National Service when he decided on a secondment to the Yorkshire city.

But places were limited and he faced competition from a fellow recruit, who was originally from Whitby, and was desperate to move back up to the North of England.

Retired headteacher Mr Lee, 75, who is from Paisley in Scotland, said: "We were told to sort out where we wanted to go around the country ourselves, and many of the lads were from England so they were not too fussed about where they ended up.

"But York was about halfway home to Scotland for me, so I was keen to come up. The only problem was that there was the other lad from Whitby who was very keen to get back to Yorkshire.

"So we tossed a coin to decide, which I fortunately won. I felt a little bit bad but then I would never have met my wife, so luck was definitely on my side."

After he arrived at the Army barracks in Fulford Road on April 18, 1958, Mr Lee headed into the city centre with some other recruits the following evening to sample York's nightlife.

The group stopped off for a ballroom dance at the city's Assembly Rooms, where Mr Lee was to meet his future wife.

"When I saw Margaret, I asked her to dance and then I asked her again later in the evening. It was obvious from the start that we wanted to be together, and that is the way things have remained for the last 50 years."

The couple embarked on a long-distance relationship after Mr Lee returned to Scotland when his two-year stint of National Service came to an end, with his future wife, who was born Margaret Hawksby working in a nursing home in Holgate Road in York, travelling up from her home city to visit him north of the border.

But just over two years after they met, the couple tied the knot on June 25, 1960, during a ceremony at St Mary's Church in Holgate Road before heading off for a two-week honeymoon on Guernsey.

Mrs Lee, who celebrated her 74th birthday last Saturday and is now a grandmother-of-five, decided on the Bettys tea rooms in St Sampsons Square as the perfect place for their wedding reception as she had been a regular customer since her teenage years.

The retired school administrator said: "When I left school, I used to go to the library every Saturday morning before meeting up with my girlfriends at Bettys for a cup of tea and a slice of cake.

"It became something of a routine, and then I'd go and play hockey in the afternoon for the railway institute to burn off all the calories.

"It has been wonderful coming back to York, and Bettys is exactly the same as it was all those years ago. It really hasn't changed since our wedding reception, and that is what makes the place so special.

"Whenever someone asks where I'm from, I tell them that I live in Paisley but that I am from York. It is a wonderful city, and I am still proud to say that I come from York."

The couple travelled down from Scotland on Wednesday for a five-day stay and were joined by 16 friends and family for the celebratory party at Bettys yesterday afternoon.

Among the friends was Jean George, who met Mrs Lee while they worked at the Rowntrees chocolate factory in York, and her husband, Peter.

Mr and Mrs Lee's two daughters, Jennifer Wilson and Susan Anderson, also travelled to York from their homes in Fife and Leicester with their families for the celebrations.

Mrs Lee said: "It has been a wonderful opportunity to meet up with everyone on such a special day. To have the party in Bettys has been all the more special, because it holds so many memories for both David and I."

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