A gem of a couple were celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary yesterday.

Jack and Jean Scott, 85 and 81, of Gladstone Street, Crook, were introduced to each other at a dance at the Elite Hall, in Crook, on VJ-Day, August 15 1945.

They planned to get engaged with friends and family at Newcastle in the winter of 1947 but record bad weather meant the couple were stuck in Wear Valley until the spring.

After courting for nearly four years the pair wed in June 1949 at The Church of St Thomas, Stanley Crook, and travelled to Whitley Bay for their honeymoon.

They both worked as shop assistants at Bishop Auckland’s The Co-op and Crook’s Woolworths and shared a love for Newcastle United.

When asked about the secret to their long-lasting marriage, Mr Scott said: "It is all give and take. We have always helped each other along the way. We’ve never really had a row or anything."

The couple have one daughter Linda Dixon, 52, and two teenage grandchildren.

Mrs Scott said: "The time just seems to slip by. It hasn’t been hard work, we’ve always been content with each other and with our home."

They celebrated their Diamond Wedding Anniversary yesterday with a party at home.