HAVING a "wheely-good" time has been the secret of 60 years of wedded bliss for John and Mary Wood.

The cycling-loving couple were celebrating their diamond wedding today.

John, 85, and Mary, 83, of Middlethorpe Grove, Dringhouses, York, met and married in Cheshire in 1942.

But the couple moved to York in 1954 when John became sales representative for Hovis in the East and North Riding of Yorkshire area.

Mary worked in the supply and contracts department for British Rail.

John said: "We have lived here ever since. I worked for Hovis until I retired in 1979."

John revealed that the couple's love of cycling had bonded them together.

John is a lifetime member of the Cyclists' Touring Club and the pair have cycled all over Europe. They have no children.

John, who served in North Africa and Italy during the Second World War, said: "We have always been very active and that's why we have stayed together.

"I pretty much knew she was the one for me the first moment I saw her."

Updated: 16:54 Thursday, May 23, 2002