Ted and Pat celebrate 50 years

They were joined by their sons who brought along their own families - Kevin with wife Anita and children Matthew and Carly, while Neil came with wife Sally, and daughters Lauren and Jaye.

Anita's 93-year-old mother Lily was also one of the guests.

Ted and Pat's daughter Sally did not attend as she was in Scotland but she was represented by daughters Lia and Rochelle. They have two great-grand-daughters who were not there - Chloe-Hope and Lily-Mae

Pat said: "It was a lovely party. There were 19 of us altogether, mainly family. My sister Gwen was there with her son Nicholas, Matthew and Carly both had their partners there, Suzy and Andy, and there were two other guests, Terry Suggett and his wife Nina...Terry was the mutual friend who introduced us all those years ago."

The couple, who live in Uplands Close, also enjoyed a lunch party at the Brickwall to celebrate their anniversary with other close friends.

They said: "We wish to thank everyone who attended either of the two parties for their good wishes and gifts, but more importantly for just being there and helping to make the occasion so memorable and special."

Pat, now 70, was born in Harrow in Middlesex and moved with her family to St Leonards in 1946. That was the same year Ted came to the area, having been born in Tunbridge Wells. Ted, who is 74, joined the RAF for his national service and was stationed in Iraq. In 1953 he resumed his work for an electrical manufacturers in Aldwych, London, where he stayed until 1963. They first met at a dance on Hastings Pier. Ted had gone along with friend Terry and they bumped into Pat who Terry knew from Hastleons singing group.

"That was it," said Ted, "We started going out."

The couple took the relationship slowly, Ted having been warned by Pat's mother that she was only 18 and would not be marrying until she was 21.

They tied the knot at St Leonard's Parish Church which had been demolished in the war by a Doodlebug and was still missing its front steps.

They lived in Church Road and then Bulverhythe Road in St Leonards where they raised their family. Ted began working for Finefare supermarket and Louis G.Ford before joining Southern Water where he stayed for 16 years. Pat didn't work until her youngest Sally was 14, then started part-time as an invigilator at Hastings College, later exams officer and exams coordinator.

They moved to Bexhill in 1984 when their children had grown up and left home, and they decided to make a new home elsewhere. They found the bungalow they loved and have enjoyed working on their garden.