GORDON and Lily Corner this week celebrate 60 years of happy marriage.

The couple were married at St Paul's Church, in Haswell, east Durham, on April 21, 1945.

It was their love of dancing which brought them together because they met at a regular village dance in Thornley.

Athough Mrs Corner is now 79 and her husband a year older, they say they still have a twirl around the kitchen of their Shotton Colliery home.

After marrying, the couple settled down in Haswell.

Mrs Corner worked in the local co-operative store and her husband was a miner at neighbouring Shotton Colliery.

The couple, who have no family, lived in Haswell up until seven years ago when they moved to a bungalow in Shotton Colliery.

After working 34 years in the pit, Mr Corner became a postman in Haswell and delivered mail in the village for 14 years before retiring.

Mrs Corner revealed the secret of so many happy years together.

She said: "For any marriage to work, you need tolerance, a measure of give and take and you must be friends as well as lovers.''

To mark their diamond wedding, the couple will host a dinner party for family and friends.