A FORMER miner who has celebrated his diamond wedding anniversary recalled how he first caught the eye of his wife on the dance floor as he played in a band.

Ronny Smalley, then 18 years old, got a friend to mention him to Joan, then 15, to make sure she was not swept away by anyone else while he was busy performing - and has never looked back.

Mr Smalley of Kelloe, near Durham, said: "I played accordian with Ted Crosby and His Accordian Serenaders.

"I can remember looking down on the scene, while we were playing at the West Cornforth village hall, when our eyes met.

"I asked a dancer Geordie Harrison - who sadly died two months ago - to mention me to her.

"After the session I walked her to her home in Kelloe three to four miles away, before walking to my home two miles away in Park Hill."

Mr Smalley, 85, said love blossomed with Joan, 82, and they got married after a courtship lasting several years.

To mark their anniversary, the couple had a function for the village at the Kelloe Workingmens’ Club, entertained by their daughter-in-law, professional singer Shirley-Ann Turnbull and Joyce Pembroke. They stipulated that in lieu of gifts, guests make a donation to Macmillan Cancer Support. Over £600 was raised for the charity.

Mrs Smalley worked at the village Co-op, while Mr Smalley worked at Bowburn Pit, where he rose to training officer with the National Coal Board.

They have a son John, 58, and two grandchildren.