IT’S more than 60 years since penpals Gregory and Marion Strange first wrote to eachother ... and they celebrate their Diamond Wedding anniversary this week.

Greg was just 19 and in the RAF when he first wrote to office worker Marion after reading an advert BBC magazine Radio Review.

They became engaged 14 months later and married on March 27, 1954.

Now living in Bromborough, they have two children and two grandchildren.

They marked their milestone with a party at the Bridge Inn, Port Sunlight, on Saturday, attended by 70 people.

Reflecting on the secret of a long and happy marriage Greg, who was born in Tranmere and is 84 in June, told the Globe: "We always have a sense of humour and we’ll never lose it.

"Whenever we've had a problem we talk to each other about it. If you have a row it’s best to consider the other person’s point of view.

"Greg, who worked in the research departments at Capenhurst and Lever Brothers, said: "I can’t believe it's our 60th anniversary.

"The guy who did the disco on Saturday also did the disco for our 50th – even he couldn’t believe how fast the time had gone since then!"

Looking back on first dates, Greg recalled: "We used to walk through Princes Park in Liverpool.

"In the early days we'd take the overhead railway, which was known as the Docker's Umbrella, from Liverpool to Princes Park.”

Marion, from Dingle, celebrates her 80th birthday on April 14, but has no intention of feeling old. She recently had a tattoo of a rose on her shoulder.

She said: "I know I’ll be 80, but I really don’t feel 80. We enjoy each day as if it's our last.”