A PAIR of childhood sweethearts have celebrated 50 years of marriage.

Ronald Hadley, 73, and wife Moira, 70, of Stockwell Grove, Wrexham, marked their golden wedding anniversary with a party for family and friends at the Railway Club in Wrexham.

The pair, who met when they were just 15, say the secret to a successful marriage is “happiness”.

Moira said: “We met because Ron’s auntie lived next door. He took me out on a couple of dates to the pictures and for a walk and it went from there really.”

The couple, who have daughters, Jane, 42, and Julie, 46, and grandchildren Sophie, 24, Zara, 11, and two-year-old Kiara, asked party guests to make donations to charity in lieu of a gift.

They raised £160 for Macmillan Cancer Support and the British Heart Foundation.

“People give you these gifts but you don’t really want them,” added Moira.

“So we thought we would ask for donations to charity instead. We chose Macmillan because Ron’s brother, Jo, passed away from cancer when he was 61 and the nurses did a fantastic job for him.

“We chose the British Heart Foundation because Ron has had many operations on his heart so we are very grateful for the work they do.”

The couple enjoy long walks, trips to bingo and a game of dominoes.