CHILDHOOD sweethearts Alf and Margaret Wilson celebrated 60 years of marriage yesterday.
The couple, both born and bred in Castleside, Consett, have been inseparable for 80 years.
"I was the girl next door," said Mrs Wilson, 83.
"We went to school together, and were in the church choir together.
"The romance blossomed from the time I was about 16."
The only time they spent apart was during the Second World War.
Mr Wilson, an engine driver at the steelworks in Consett, was called up in 1943 and joined the Royal Engineers, while his bride-to-be went to Manchester to work in an aircraft factory.
They were married in St John's Church, Castleside, in 1944.
Mr Wilson was de-mobbed in 1947 and the couple returned to Consett.
They have one daughter, Avril, three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
The family gathered on Sunday at Abigail Lodge Nursing Home, in Delves Lane, near Consett, where Mr Wilson is now a resident.
Staff decorated the home with banners and balloons to mark their diamond anniversary.
"We had a lovely day," said Mrs Wilson. "Everybody at the home was marvellous."
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