FOR her it was his sense of humour, for him, her slender good looks.

Their eyes met across a crowded dancefloor at Kempsey Parish Hall and within two years they were married at the village church amid three inches of snow.

Now, half a century on, Harry and Jean Lewis returned to the hall for their Golden Wedding on Saturday.

"I said, 'Who's that little thin one in the middle of the dancefloor? I'm going to ask her to dance,'" says Harry. "We had a good time and the rest is history."

Jean agrees: "I was slim in those days. I took out my wedding dress the other day and people couldn't believe I could fit into it!

"We were absolutely frozen on the day we married - hopefully we won't get a repeat of that."

A native of Breconshire, Harry, now aged 74, had come to Worcestershire to work on farms. Latterly he has been a gardener and handyman around Kempsey.

"It really is home for us," says Jean, aged 69. "Some things come and go. We used to have five shops in the village, now there's only the post office and the shop is up for sale.

"The parish hall has a new toilet but, apart from that, things are much the same as they were the day we had our wedding reception there."

And with 80 guests to cater for, including Harry's original best man and three of the bridesmaids, Jean is just as busy preparing food as she was then.

The couple, who have four sons and seven grandchildren, have dedicated the last 10 years to raising money for the Air Ambulance, their interest sparked after they witnessed it in action.

They asked guests to donate to the charity rather than give anniversary presents.

"The secret of a long marriage is always to talk things through and make sure you have a good laugh," says Jean.