PC57A certainly made an arresting sight as he stood directing traffic in the centre of Bristol that summer's day in 1940.

Enough, anyway, to stop a pretty girl in her tracks. And out of the corner of his eye, the officer clocked her too. Soon, the chemist's shop where the young lady worked was receiving regular visits from the law. Had Bristol Constabulary suddenly become afflicted by rampant disease? No, it was only PC57A struck by the love bug.

"I don't think I've ever bought so many cough sweets in my life," laughed Stan Blackler.

Two years later, a clergyman wrote out a prescription for a long and happy marriage and Stan and his bride Gladys were joined together in holy matrimony.

This month, they celebrated their Diamond Wedding and sitting among the cards at their home in Checketts Court, Worcester was one from Her Majesty The Queen.

Considering all she's had going on lately it was nice of her to remember.

But then Stan and Gladys Blackler are the sort of folk you tend to remember.

I had originally planned to visit them back in early spring, not to record their wedding celebrations, but to write about their extraordinary career in local opera circles.

Therefore, it was with some irony that the interview was postponed twice because Stan was ill.

All the cough sweets in the world couldn't fend off an attack of 'flu and by the time the date was re-arranged, their Diamond Wedding had come and gone.

However, not gone far enough for all the celebration cake to have been eaten and I'm glad to say there was a piece left for me.

Beside the anniversary card from The Queen was a photograph of the event I had originally intended to write about, Stan and Gladys receiving their Gold Bars for 50 years service to the world of musical comedy.

The bars make a handsome addition to their 25 Years medals, which were presented to them in 1977.

For all this, you can really blame Gladys.

"Ever since I was a little girl I have loved singing," she said. "I was brought up in Bristol and used to sing in school and church choirs and eisteddfods and that sort of thing."

Stan, on the other hand, had never sung a serious note until he was married.

But his young wife's enthusiasm encouraged him to air his vocal chords and he discovered he was a natural bass.

Separated for a while by the Second World War, when Stan spent several years in the Royal Marines, the couple made their stage debut together with Bristol Amateur Operatic Society in 1952. The venue was the city's old Empire Theatre and the show was Showboat.

"That's what started it all," said Gladys.

In 1958, they moved to Banbury and, dismayed to discover the town had no local operatic society, promptly founded one themselves.

In 1967, the Blacklers moved to Tunbridge Wells, which, no surprise here, did have a society, with which they appeared for the next two years.

By now, Stan was working for an agricultural seeds firm, and in 1969 it moved him to Worcester. So began Gladys and Stan's long association with Worcester Operatic and Dramatic Society.

They have been involved with every show ever since, either performing or back stage, and both have been presidents of the Society, Stan in WODS centenary year of 1991-92 and Gladys in 1993-94.

The years and productions have brought some wonderful memories, but one incident that still makes Stan laugh was the time he was performing the monologue of the old schoolmaster in Brigadoon at Worcester's Swan Theatre

"The auditorium was completely quiet. You could have heard a pin drop. The stage was all mine and, if I say so myself, I was holding the audience in the palm of my hand.

"Suddenly a voice from the front row of the stalls announced, 'I've had enough of this!' and an old lady promptly got up and walked out.

"I discovered later she was from a special coach party, but I don't think my acting's had that effect on anyone before. Not that they've been so public about, anyway."

Now aged 83, Stan feels his performing days may be coming to an end.

"It's not so much the voice, but the rake on the stage at The Swan I have trouble with. If I'm not careful I find myself veering off down towards the audience."

Gladys appeared in WODS' 2001 production of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas as the Old Madam and still plays an active role in the administration of the National Operatic and Dramatic Association.

"We've loved every minute of our time both on stage and behind the scenes," she said. "The bar to our medal was a wonderful honour and the card from The Queen just topped off what has been an exciting few weeks for us."

As Gilbert and Sullivan should have put it, this (ex-) policeman's lot has been a very happy one.