Shared passion for travel is the secret for 65th anniversary couple who experienced '˜love at first sight' at Sunderland's Rink Ballroom

Sydney and Audrey Huntley have spent their married life roaming around the world - and have celebrated their big day with another foreign trip.

The pair, from Station Road in Ryhope, have been married for 65 years, but have been a couple for almost 70.

Their eyes first met across the dancefloor of the Rink Ballroom in Holmeside way back in 1950. She was just 18 and he was 20.

Audrey was smitten from the start, as she recalled: “It was love at first sight,” she said.

“He was a good-looking, charming man.”

The couple got engaged on September 19, 1952, and tied the knot a little over a year later, at St Pauls’ Church, Ryhope, on October 10, 1953.

Syd worked at a steel fabrication company, while Audrey was at Blackett’s Counting house before joining the civil service.

Audrey believes it is the pair’s shared passion for travel that has helped them to keep the romantic spark alive for so many years.

They have taken very opportunity to tour the world in the six-and-a-half decades together.

“We have travelled extremely extensively,” she said.

“We have been all over the world, all over Europe, all over America Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Bali.

“We do travel as much as we can. When we were celebrating our 60th anniversary, we went cruising.”

Indeed, Syd and Audrey have chosen to celebrate their big day with another foreign trip, though this one is a bit less adventurous than some of their previous adventures.

The couple are enjoying a break on the Costa del Sol with daughter Andrea and son-in-law David and will round off the festivities with a family dinner at Lumley Castle on their return.