A Bath couple who met as teenagers and are now celebrating their golden wedding say their close-knit family is the secret to their long and happy marriage.
Malcolm and Janet Mitchell met at the Regency Ballroom when she was 17 and he was 18. Within a year they were engaged, before getting married at St Saviour's Church, Larkhall.
Mrs Mitchell, whose maiden name was Mills, was living in Larkhall at the time and Mr Mitchell once trudged through 2ft of snow to visit her from his home in Southdown.
Mr and Mrs Mitchell lived in Newbridge and then Twerton after the wedding but, after the arrival of their three children Nicola, Robert and Claire, bought a house in Saltford, where they stayed for 32 years. They recently downsized to an apartment at Bathwick Hill.
Mrs Mitchell, 69, was one of nine children, while Mr Mitchell, 71, was one of six.
Mr Mitchell, who worked for South Western Gas Board until his early retirement at the age of 52, said family had helped them through the difficult times: "We have had our problems but we have stuck together. Family has always been at the forefront. Family life has always been a very high priority for us.
"I'd be the last one to say we never argued, but we have worked through the difficult times."
The couple's daughter Claire used to live in Hong Kong, so on their visits to see her they had the opportunity to travel the world, including Singapore and Australia.
They have also been to Canada and America, as well as many holidays in Tenerife.
Mr and Mrs Mitchell celebrated their golden wedding with a party on the John Rennie boat for friends and family, including their three children and three grandchildren, Jessica, Jake and Spike.
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