Northampton couple celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary on Valentine's Day

Liz, 77, and Keith Coleman, 79, tied the knot in 1959 as teenagers at Northampton's registration office, just six weeks before Keith was called up to do his national service.

Keith was separated from Liz for two years when he worked away with the British Army in Cyprus, and they exchanged love letters for 730 days, until they met again.

Since their pen-pal days Keith has now retired from a long standing cobbling career at Norvic Shoe Company and Liz is having a well earned rest from her working days at Barclaycard.

They are proud parents to daughter Sally, son Richard, three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

But their busy family life has not kept them from travelling all over the world. Liz said: "I'm glad we got married so young, although it was hard.

"Our children have now grown up and we have seen the world. For our golden wedding anniversary we did a Nile cruise, and I loved that - we really love to travel."

Liz's favourite country is Montenegro and Keith's is South Africa where he spent a milestone birthday at Table Mountain in Cape Town.

Impassioned Cobblers fan Keith and knitting fanatic Liz spent today enjoying afternoon tea at the Far Cotton Loco Club with their friends to celebrate.

They moved to Far Cotton in 1978 after enjoying their first few years of marriage in Spring Boroughs - where they met - and it's been (almost) wedded bliss ever since.

"It's an achievement," Liz laughed. "You have to work hard at it and my mum always stuck up for him, not me. Remember that you don't always have to like them...but you love them."