A COUPLE from Acomb will celebrate their diamond wedding anniversary today.

Harry and Marina Todd, who live in Bramham Road, met in 1954 after Harry returned from service with the Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers.

At the time, Marina lived with her parents in Mill Street - now home to the Tramways Club - and Harry's family helped them get together.

Marina, now 82, said: "They lived on the other side of the road to us and he was in the Army when they moved in. I used to go there to get warm from the fire as they always had a big fire going."

Harry said: "I used to go and call for her and take a box of chocolates, and when her mum kept appearing I told her they were for Marina, but I don't think they got to her."

Marina said: "I didn't want them, I worked at Terry's."

Marina then worked for 32 years at the Rowntree's factory, while Harry worked as a blacksmith for engineers including CJ Taylors, in Layerthorpe, and Adam Hydraulics, and retired in 1996.

Harry, now 86, was previously an apprentice blacksmith in Alne, near Easingwold, and the couple married in St Deny's Church, Walmgate, in 1947.

He said: "We've got about four parties organised - one for family, one at the dance where we used to go at Acomb Church Hall, which was also used to run. It was the best dance in York. The third one's at St Sampson's Church, then a fish and chips banquet will be the last one. It's costing us a fortune, but you can't take it with you."

The couple have one daughter, Diane, who also worked at Terry's, and Marina, who has been living with Parkinson's Disease for about eight years, said she was proud of her family, and of reaching their 60th anniversary.

She said: "I think dancing kept us together, we went to Leeds a lot, went on trips to Scarborough and Bridlington dancing, from the church hall and that's where you met people from all over."

Harry said: "We've had a good life, and we hope we have got a few years more yet."