A GOLDEN couple are today celebrating a marital milestone.

Charles and Shirley Abel first met at the Castle Garage on Tower Street in 1965 and tied the knot on October 26 1968 at St Hilda’s Church in Tang Hall, where Shirley volunteered for 20 years.

They will be celebrating their golden wedding anniversary this weekend with family at The Olive Tree in York. They have two daughters, Samantha and Nicola, two grand children and three great grand children with another due next month.

The couple, of Derwent Road, Fulford, said the secret to a happy marriage was making sure it’s a fifty-fifty relationship.

Charles,79, who was a drummer for Ian and the Shifters in the 1960s, said: “You have to make sure you both put equal effort into it. If it’s split 70:30 the relationship won’t work.”

Shirley, 70, added that family time and holidays had been the highlight of their marriage. “We have had many amazing holidays to Italy, Hungary and Madeira with our family. "

Charles said: “I remember asking my dad what it was like to be 80 and he told that time will go quickly. I'm 79 and I don’t know where the time has gone.”

Samantha said: “They have always been hardworking parents who brought us up with good morals. I loved my childhood down Chestnut Avenue because we always hosted big family parties and street parties.”

In their spare time, the couple often take their campervan to the coast to relax and enjoy the sights of Bridlington, Filey and Scarborough.