WHEN Gerald Boldon was just seven, he swore to marry his five-year-old childhood sweetheart, Audrey Tiffen.

Now the pair have tied the knot after a chance meeting in a supermarket - 60 years after they first pledged their undying love.

The couple's romance began as the couple played together as toddlers in the back garden of Gerald's grandfather's home, in the village of Sandhoe, Northumberland, in 1938.

As the years passed, they became inseparable and shared some treasured childhood memories growing up together.

They swore to marry, but grew apart in their teenage years and went their separate ways. Each married and had families of their own.

But when they became widowed, a chance meeting in a supermarket when Audrey moved back to her home saw the old flame rekindle. After a whirlwind romance, the couple "eloped" to Gretna Green this month.

Audrey, 64, said: "I couldn't believe it when I saw Gerald again after all those years.

"It was like finding something that had been lost for many years and I had found it again. It was a wonderful feeling. It just seems so right that we are together again."

Gerald, 66, said: "When I saw Audrey again, there was certainly a tug on the old heartstrings. It is as though we were meant to be together."

It was not until one afternoon in June this year that the pair met again.

Audrey said: "I had gone to Safeway, in Hexham, and was just getting my weekly shopping when I almost ran into another trolley. It was Gerald. I recognised him instantly."

Gerald said: "My heart thumped when I saw Audrey, she still looked fantastic. I knew I couldn't just let her walk out of my life again, so I asked her if she would like to go out for a meal - and she agreed."