A COUPLE who spent 40 years apart after a failed teenage romance were celebrating their engagement today - after their love refused to die.

Thomas Richards and Margaret West went their separate ways in 1961 after just over a year together.

They both married another partner in the intervening four decades, but always wondered what the other was doing.

So an impulsive phone call to Thomas from Margaret, 10 months ago, was all that was needed to re-ignite their fire.

And tonight they were due to show off their love to friends and family at a party at Hollins Grove Liberal Club, Falcon Avenue, Darwen.

Thomas, 59, of Higher Lawrence Street, Darwen, was married for more than 20 years until his wife, Eveline, died five years ago. He said his rekindled relationship with Margaret has made him feel like a teenager again.

"Its funny, like you're on cloud nine," he said.

"She hasn't altered a bit. I thought about her over the years - she was never out of my thoughts. My wife had heard of her but I wasn't in touch then, Eveline thought she was a danger. But I was devoted to my wife then.

"Margaret was only 16 when we started going out. We went out quite regularly, but then we went our different ways - she got married and I got married.

"I am not sure how we got back together but she phoned me last October to find out how I was and we started going out again.

"I took her for a meal and we got on straight away.

"We want to show everybody we are back again and also make the engagement official. "I have had a lot of heartache, so it's good and has got me back into life.

"I was down three years ago. I lost my wife, my pet dog, then my mum died."

Margaret, 57, of Birch Hall Avenue, Darwen, married William West but he died in 1985. She then got engaged to Barry Shepherd, who died two-and-a-half years later.

Margaret said: "I know that it may sound corny but in a way it will be third time lucky for me.

"We have always known where one another lived but we kept our distances for reasons neither of us know.

"We are both born and bred in Darwen, perhaps it is fate that we landed back together again.

"When I saw Thomas again we got on straight away.

"It's better now because we are both more mature and grown. We have settled down a bit."

They have yet to set a wedding date because they are both happy with the way things are, but are planning for it to be in the next couple of years.