They said it would not last when Harry Dowson was sacked from his job for refusing to work on the day of his wedding to his 17-year-old bride Arleen.

But the couple have proved the doubters wrong and on Friday are celebrating their golden wedding anniversary.

They met when Mrs Dowson was visiting Skipton after her family moved from the town to Scotland. At the time she was courting one of her future husband's friends.

The couple got together when she moved back to Skipton and they married only a few months later when she was 17 and he was 21.

Married life did not get off to the perfect start. Mr Dowson lost his driving job - which he had only held for three weeks - when he asked for the Saturday off to get married.

Then, after the ceremony at Christ Church, the newlyweds were forced to spend the night in a friend's house as Mrs Dowson's family home had been taken over by her husband's relatives, who travelled down from the north east for the ceremony.

Initially the newlyweds lived with Mrs Dowson's parents in Gladstone Street and eventually bought the house off them. They later moved to Rankins Well Road where they have lived for the past 22 years.

Mr Dowson had driving jobs most of his life and worked for more than 30 years at Johnson & Johnson while his wife worked for Co-op and Brown Muffs - now Rackhams.

Mr and Mrs Dowson have been involved in Skipton's RAFA branch for many years - he is chairman and his wife is Wings Organiser. In 1996 he had the honour of being the standard bearer for the whole of the northern RAFA area.

He has always loved motorbikes and has three, which he restores, and still rides. His wife used to accompany him when she was "younger and had no fear".

When they married, they were told their relationship would not last because they were too young. But the couple said this had made them determined to make it work.

Mrs Dowson said: "There were times when we were younger, that if it had been nowadays, we might have split up."

But she said they had just got on with the "hard slog". "And now I can't imagine life without him," she said.

The couple were celebrating their anniversary with a meal with family. They have two sons Alan and Tony and a daughter Mandy and are grandparents to Gavin, Daniel, Kirsten, Niamh, Joel, Louis, Sydney, Roxanne and Charlotte. The latter three live in the US.

Next year they are going on a round-the-world trip, which will take include the US, where they will meet one of their grand-daughters for the first time, and also Singapore, where Mr Dowson has not visited since serving in the forces.