THEY were teenage sweethearts.

Now, 60 years later, Edwin and Ruby White are celebrating their diamond wedding.

Edwin, 81, and 79-year-old Ruby first met outside Romsey’s Plaza Cinema.

Ruby was 14 and Edwin was about 16 and five years later, in 1954, they tied the knot at Romsey Abbey.

“He was out with his mates at the pictures and I was with my mine. He asked me out and that was it.

“We’ve had a happy married life and I’ve never regretted one day of it.

You’ve got to give and take,” said Ruby who has lived in the Romsey area all her life.

Edwin agreed he’d made the right decision marrying Ruby.

“She was my first love really and we hit it off straight away,” said Edwin.

Ruby attended schools in Romsey and her first job was as a sales assistant at the town’s FW Woolworth store, now the Co-op.

After two years at Woolworth’s Ruby left to go and work at Strong’s Brewery off Station Road where she was employed in the bottling plant.

Ruby’s first marital home was at Slackstead where her husband was born and where she worked on a chicken farm for 20 years.

The couple, who have two sons, Stephen and Phillip, moved to Braishfield about 12 years ago and have lived there ever since. Edwin, who went to school at Hursley, left education when he was 14 and he worked on J R Phillips’ farm at Slackstead for 48 years before being made redundant.

His work included tractor driving and head herdsman of 140 milking cows.

“I loved life on the farm and when I was made redundant I became self employed and started my own garden services business.

“I did hedge cutting and general gardening work for 18 years before I packed in work,” said Edwin.

Gardening is Edwin’s main hobby now but he once played darts for Braishfield Social Club and the Wheatsheaf pub in the village.

He was also a committee member of Braishfield Social Club for about 40 years including being its chairman for a time.

Ruby’s hobbies include walking, reading and watching TV.

The couple, who have five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, celebrated the occasion with a family meal at their eldest son Stephen’s house in Romsey.