A FORMER Stonehaven councillor and his wife are celebrating their Diamond wedding anniversary this week.
Peter and Anne Bellarby received a card from their Royal Highnesses King Charles III and Queen Camilla to mark their special day on January 2, while Deputy Lieutenant John Cruickshank delivered a card from the Lord Lieutenant of Kincardineshire, Alastair Macphie.
Cllr Sarah Dickinson presented the couple with flowers and a bottle of Royal Lochnagar whisky on behalf of Aberdeenshire Council.
Mr Bellarby, first served on Stonehaven and District Community Council before being elected as a Lib Dem councillor for Stonehaven and Lower Deeside from 2007 to 2017. He became chair of the Audit and Scrutiny Comittee and vice-chair of the Kincardine and Mearns Area Committee.
The couple met while on a group walking holiday in the Lake District. And, with Peter being a keen mountaineer, it is clear the hills have featured strongly in their marriage. Peter says his proudest achievement is to have completed the iconic ridge of the Black Cuillin on Skye in one day.
Meanwhile Anne, who was an art teacher before they married, also enjoys the mountains – as a subject to paint.
Indeed, the Bellarbys are shortly to enjoy a celebratory trip to Switzerland on an organised tour “Swiss Mountain Snow Train Adventure”. They will travel to Switzerland by train and stay at Hergiswil on the shores of Lake Lucerne. There will be excursions each day by train and cable car or mountain railway which will allow them to go high up the mountains with little effort. On the off day Anne intends to paint a picture from the hotel.
Peter and Anne have three children, seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren – with another expected. Their Diamond anniversary celebrations are set to continue with a house party and a string of visits from their ever-growing family.