CHILDHOOD sweethearts Neil and Christine Jones have celebrated their golden wedding anniversary.

The couple met when she was 14 and he was 15 and they married six years later, in 1969, at Lydbrook Church.

They live in Ruardean where Mr Jones has been ‘mayor’ of the village for the last 15 years or so.

The couple say that, as in all marriages, there have been ‘ups and downs’ with some of the ‘downs’ resulting from his days playing No 8 for Cinderford rugby club.

Mrs Jones joked: “He’d say ‘you don’t like rugby’ and I’d say ‘it isn’t the rugby, it’s the staying out afterwards’.”

Mr Jones started playing rugby at Berry Hill and then went to Cinderford where he played until he was in his 30s and later coached at both clubs.

He was in the first team on his 18th birthday and was captain for four years – and he is a life member of the club.

Mr Jones joined Rank Xerox in 1971 and his job as an engineering manager took them to Rochester in New York State for a couple of years from 1976.

He said: “I took early retirement in 2001 and have worked ever since!”

Mrs Jones worked at the Rosedales factory in Cinderford after leaving school and, after raising their two children, became a nursery nurse at Sunbeams in Mitcheldean from 1993 until she retired six years ago and now enjoys gardening.

Mr Jones said: “They revived the carnival and they needed a mayor and they asked me. It’s for charity and we have a court every couple of years. It’s a bit of fun – it’s Foresters taking the mick out of each other.

Mr and Mrs Jones have a son, Gary, and a daughter Sarah and five grandchildren.