A DIAMOND couple who met through babysitting are celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary.

Ken and Sylvia Spencer, of Ferryhill, marked their special day today (Thursday, April 17) with a cruise in Holland and Belgium and a family gathering.

The pair met as teenagers when Mrs Spencer, 80, babysat for Mr Spencer’s brother and sister, Geoffrey and Kathleen Spencer.

Mr Spencer, of Raby Road, said: “I took a fancy to her as a 15-year-old.

“We love and respect each other and we’ve had some laughs over the years. There’s also been some hard work too.”

Mr Spencer, 81, hails from Tudhoe, near Spennymoor, and moved to Brunel Street, in Ferryhill, when he was 15-years-old.

The move saw him living five doors away from his future wife and the pair began to date in 1947.

A three year National Service spell in the RAF followed for Mr Spencer in 1950 before the pair married at St Luke’s Church, in Ferryhill, on Easter Saturday 1954.

The pair both spent time working at the former Thorn factory, in Spennymoor, and Mr Spencer became the assistant foreman.

They have two daughters, Maureen and Carol, plus a son, Kevin. The couple also have five grandchildren - Oliver, Jonathan, Ben, Adam and Katie.

Councillor Ken Campbell, mayor of Ferryhill, visited the family to mark the anniversary.