A Keighley couple had the luck of the Irish when they started dating at a St Patrick's Day dance, as they will be celebrating 60 years of marriage this weekend.

Bill and Rose Cox, of Oakworth Road, were married on 14 April in 1941.

They went to a St Patrick's ball in 1939 and Bill says: "It was the first time that I walked her home from the dance."

But Bill and Rose had known of each other before then, as they both attended St Anne's primary school in Keighley.

Rose had caught Bill's eye when they were both much younger, when she was the school's May Queen, an experience that Rose recalls fondly from her childhood.

After the couple had been married, Bill was called up for army service but due to medical problems he worked in munitions.

Rose had a variety of jobs including working in textiles, at a building society and at the Keighley dog track in Stockbridge.

The couple spent a year living in Leeds, running a fish and chip shop, but came back to Keighley where Bill became an overlooker at Hayfield Mills in Glusburn.

He went on to work at Haggas' Mill on South Street for nine years before working in various mills around the country.

Rose kept the family home in Keighley while Bill worked away in places as far away as Barrow-in-Furness. For two years he travelled to Darlington and back every day.

They have two daughters, Carol and Yvonne, and several grandchildren.

They put the secret of their sixty-year marriage down to perseverance.

Bill says: "We have had some good times and some bad times. We have had some happy times and some sad times."

Rose adds: "But the important thing is to manage to have the health and strength to make the most of what you've got."

Rose attends St Joseph's church choir.

The couple are having a celebratory meal on Saturday with 25 friends.