Sweethearts since their early teens, Basil and Babs Bailey celebrated their golden wedding anniversary on Friday.

Basil (70) and Babs (69), who live in Ashburton Road, Alresford, met when they were 14 and 15 respectively. Both lived in Gosport and Babs, then Babs Chadwick, was Basil's mate's girlfriend.

They were planning a coach outing and the friend could not afford to pay for Babs, so Basil took over, paid her fare and they have been together ever since.

Basil worked for Gosport Borough Council parks department, before transferring to Hampshire County Council, where he worked on school grounds, while Babs was employed in a laundry.

They married at St John's Church, Gosport and set up home in the town. A move from Gosport took them to Wield, near Alresford, where they lived in the school house. Basil had never heard of Wield at that time and when he was told he could have the house there, he queried whether there was such a place. They settled in the village, the children played in the schoolyard and Babs joined the WI.

The couple have six children - Christine, Janet, David, Sheila, Raymond and John - and it was when they were growing up and there was not much for them to do in Wield, that the family moved to Alresford.

Babs then worked for Taylor of London in The Dean, at Alresford and when they closed she became a home carer.

Basil left the county council after 33 years and worked at St Swithun's School in Winchester for 15 years until retiring five years ago.

Basil and Babs enjoy their retirement, although Babs still has a cleaning job at Perin's School. He is a keen gardener and she looks after her mother, who lives at Makins Court. She is busy knitting tiny Father Christmases, snowmen and choirboys for a sale at Makins Court later in the month. They celebrated with a party at Makins Court.

Asked the recipe for a happy married life they say: "When you have an argument, state your view and then forget it and be nice to each other. We have always got on".