JOE and Betty Maisey first met at the Swindon Wheelers cycling club in the early 1950s.

Now, 50 years on, they are celebrating their Golden Wedding anniversary.

The couple, from Ferndale Road, Swindon, met at the club where Joe, 74, was a champion cyclist, which impressed Betty, 70.

She said: "He was sporty, very good looking, and popular.

"But he didn't seem to have anything to do with girls, so he was a bit of a challenge."

The Swindon-born couple married at the former Wesleyan Chapel in Faringdon Road on March 21, 1953.

A year later they had twins, Joy and Susan, followed by two more children, Gary and Jenny.

Joe, a coach finisher at the Great Western Railway works, said: "I liked Betty because she was nice, fresh and appealing."

The couple celebrated their anniversary on Friday with a family meal and a holiday in Gran Canaria this week.

Asked for the secret of a long marriage, Joe said: "We all have our ups and downs; the thing is to talk about it."