A momentous milestone was celebrated by a West Cumbrian couple 60 years after they tied the knot.

Bill James Byers, 81, and Sheila Mary Byers, 80 marked their diamond anniversary with champagne and singing entertainment at Rosehill Care Home in Moresby yesterday.

Family and friends joined them as they showed off their letter of congratulations from the queen - which arrived in the post that morning.

Bill, originally of Arlecdon and a former Marchon worker for 20 years, met Sheila in her hometown of Cleator Moor on the market square.

He said: “It had been snowing heavily, so people were throwing snowballs around. I threw one at Sheila and she threw one back at me and gave me a black eye!”

From then on, the pair started counting on and off while William was in the army. They eventually married, honeymooning in Blackpool and having five children together - from which they have 14 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren.

The couple said that one of their fondest memories together was on their 25th anniversary when they holidayed to Cyprus to celebrate. William said it was a particularly special trip because Sheila had never been abroad or in an aeroplane before.

Bill said they have both had a “tough life”, as the pair both suffered losses of their parents early on in life. Sheila lost both her parents at an early age and Bill lost his father in the William Pit Disaster.

Jeanette Wright, 51, one of the couple’s children said Bill was given six months to live 40 years ago when he was one of the first people in the country to undergo a quadruple bypass.

But, the pair have stayed strong together and the secret, according to them, is learning how to give and take.