A GOLDEN wedding couple who fell in love at first sight have only had eyes for each other since their first meeting at a fairground in Worcester.

It has been more than 50 years since David Jones and his wife-to-be Margaret spotted each other at the fair at Worcestershire County Cricket Club's New Road ground.

Mr Jones, now aged 73, invited his future wife to go on the waltzers with him.

Mrs Jones, now 68, said: "I looked at him and thought, yes, I'm going to marry that fella."

That night, the future Mrs Jones, who was living in Mersey Road, Ronkswood, told her sister he was Mr Right. A year later Mr Jones, from Bromyard, left his Army posting in Egypt and returned home. They married on March 2, 1957 at Holy Trinity Church, Shrub Hill, when Mrs Jones was 18 and Mr Jones, 22. Their eldest son Stephen was born a year later.

The couple lived with Mrs Jones's sister in Linden Road, Warndon, before setting up home in Windermere Drive, Warndon and having three more children Avril, Wendy and David. Mr Jones was a crane driver at Archdales factory. Later, Mrs Jones worked at Webbs factory, Sherriff Street, near Shrub Hill, and Mr Jones at Austin, Birmingham.

In 1965 Mr Jones suffered a serious accident. While working as a labourer on Worcester's Giffard Hotel he fell from scaffolding and damaged his leg. He spent nine months in hospital and Mrs Jones, pregnant with her youngest son, swapped her home in Solent Road, Ronkswood, with a friend's in Mersey Road, so she could live next to her mother. It has remained their home ever since.

Mrs Jones has been a cleaner at Worcestershire Royal Hospital for the last 19 years while Mr Jones stopped work in 1985 because of ill health. Both enjoy time with their 13 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Mrs Jones said: "We have had such a happy marriage. It's been terrific."