CHURCH stalwarts Brian and Hettie Lawson have celebrated 50 golden years of marriage.

The first loves, lifelong members of St Paul's Church, Westleigh, where Hettie has sung in the choir for over 60 years and Brian is a church warden, met through the youth section.

They married on June 26, 1954, and within months trainee mill manager, Brian, was conscripted into the Army.

Consequently the couple spent their first two years apart and when Brian was demobbed they moved to Westhoughton but in 1967 settled in their present home down The Avenue at Leigh.

Brian, 73, was manager at Sir John Holden's Leigh branch mill before moving as general manager to the Alder Spinning Company. When that Butts Bridge mill closed in 1981 he became manager of the Howe Bridge Spinning Company at Atherton from where he retired 10 years ago.

Hettie (nee Eccles) produced St Paul's Mothers' Union concert for many years and her twin brother George was church organist.

When they were children "The Eccles Twins" played many war-time charity concerts for the community, George on piano and Hettie singing and dancing.

The couple have a son John, a vicar in Huddersfield, who is married to Leigh girl and a church curate June (nee Reid). They have grandchildren Katherine and Joel.

They are past presidents of Leigh Rotary Club and the Inner Wheel and while Brian has a great interest in all sports Hettie, 74, loves handicrafts. Both are keen gardeners and Brian has been president of the Alma Street OAP Centre for 10 years.

He said: "We have led a very active life, we've never had time to fall out."