SHARED interests are the secret of success for one happy Hartford couple who celebrated their golden wedding on Saturday.

A blind date brought Allen and Rita Pickering, both 71, together when they were just 16.

Rita said: "A boy who lived near me, and was a mate of his, wanted to go out with a friend of mine.

"I asked her but she wouldn't go on her own, so she asked us to go with them.

She added: "They never went out again - but we did."

This first date was at Northwich Regatta on the Whitsun bank holiday in 1949 and six years later they got married, holding their reception at the Lion and Railway pub in Northwich.

When they met, Rita worked at the Co-op and Allen was an apprentice at British Waterways, but when they got married, Allen was doing his National Service in the RAF in Northern Ireland.

The wedding was held when he was home on leave for the weekend.

The couple celebrated 50 years of marriage surrounded by their family, including sons Ian, 47, twins Colin and Neil, both 45, and Graham, 37, daughters-in-law and grandchildren.

They are also planning to go to Jersey, somewhere they have always wanted to visit, for a week in May.

Rita said: "We like holidays - it's more or less a hobby for us nowadays and we've been all over Europe and America but we've never been to Jersey."

The pair also enjoy bowling regularly.

Rita said: "It's a great hobby and something we can do together or separately."