A COUPLE born and bred in Skipton, and who got together at a town youth club when they were both 17, are celebrating 60 years of marriage today, Thursday, April 20.

Peter and Maisie Marsden were also pupils at the same time in Broad Street School and have spent all their married life living in Cumberland Street in the town.

They married at Christ Church on Easter Saturday, 1957, a day chosen because it was also Mrs Marsden's 22nd birthday, and held a reception for friends in the Unicorn pub.

After completing his national service in the Royal Air Force, Mr Marsden worked at Armoride in Earby before moving to weaving firm Rycroft and Hartley, eventually becoming a mechanic. He then went on to work with his brother John in his car hire and garage Barnoldswick in Barnoldswick. Mr Marsden retired in his mid-60s, but continued to work part-time for Howcroft's funeral services in Skipton until recently.

But it was in - and on - the sporting field that Mr Marsden became well-known throughout Craven - he was a football referee for 28 years, as well as serving as secretary of the Craven and District Football League for 27 years. In 1978 he started to serve on the committee of West Riding County Football Association, and in 2005 became its president, its first-ever from Craven.

The couple have two children, Jackie, who lives in Scotland, and Jonathan, who lives in Australia, and four grandchildren, Eloise, Rebecca, Lilly and Toby.

Whe not bringing up her family, Mrs Marsden worked at Coffee and Cream in Skipton for many years and then at Recollections Gift Shop.

In retirement she is still very active in the Women's Institute and U3A, as well as playing in the Skipton Dominoes League, and she enjoys bobbin lace-making and needlework.

To celebrate their anniversary, the couple are holding a family party at Herriots Hotels and will be having a holiday in Dumfries and Galloway. And what is the secret of a long and happy marriage? "We have always supported each other in everything we've done, they say!