HALF a century of happy marriage has been celebrated by a York couple who are now preparing to take a step back in time.

Tom and Sandra Manning, of Eden Close, Acomb Park, celebrated their golden wedding with their three children, Andrew, Simon and Helen, their six grandchildren and three step-grandchildren.

They plan to relive their honeymoon with a break in the Lancashire coastal town of Morecambe, which they visited following their wedding 50 years ago.

The couple are originally from Leeds and met when they were 15 at a local fair, tying the knot in 1961 at Trinity Methodist Church in the city.

Sandra, who worked as a VDU operator at Shepherd Building Group, said: “We only had a week on our honeymoon because we were broke!”

Tom, a retired engineering manager, bought Sandra gold earrings and a bouquet of flowers to mark the anniversary. The couple moved to York about 40 years ago.

Sandra said her secret for a lasting marriage was “keeping your own character and sharing and respecting each others’ interests”.