IT'S a double delight for two brothers and their wives who shared their wedding, their working lives and now their golden wedding anniversary.

Frank and Milio Gabriele and their wives, Angela and Pietrine, have even twice lived in the same street since they were all brought together by their family ice cream business in Bishop Auckland, County Durham.

This week, they returned for a blessing to St Wilfrid's Church where they had pledged their love for each other on Wednesday, February 20, 1952.

To make their trip down memory lane even more complete, they held an anniversary party for 150 relatives and friends in Bishop Auckland Town Hall - the same place they laid on homemade Italian food in a joint wedding reception all those years ago.

Both brothers were born in Bishop Auckland, Frank in 1923 and Milio three years later.

Their parents, Emedio and Maria, had arrived in Britain in 1922 from Arpino, in central Italy, and set up an ice cream factory in Bondgate.

The boys and their younger sister, Mary, grew up in the family firm, learning to turn the handle on the old ice cream maker and going out with the horse and cart to sell it around the towns and villages of south-west Durham.

Both served with the British Army and went back to the business after the last war. Pietrine arrived from Arpino to work for Emedio in 1948 and a year later Angela, who is recovering after injuring her arm recently, left her home in nearby Casino to join her uncle in Chopwell.

After the wedding the quartet were rarely apart, living first in George Street and moving to their present homes in Victoria Avenue in the 1960s.

While their children grew up they all worked together until they decided, in 1980, to set up separate companies in adjacent factories in Durham Chare.

Frank teamed up with son Tony, and Milio with his boys Peter, Michael and Joseph.

Of the children - Tony has four sisters Palma, Rosanne, Maria and Gina - only Milio and Pietrine's daughter, Loretta, has gone to live in Italy.

Milio said: "Sharing is the Italian way. It just worked out that way. We can't say we don't fall out, but if we do we just make up again."

Frank said: "We don't miss Italy. We were born here, our family are here and this is our home.