DANCING teachers Bert and Barbara Dobbs have waltzed through 50 years of marriage and claim quick-stepping and fox-trotting has kept them young!

The couple have taught all over East Lancashire for more than 30 years.

They currently hold classes on Wednesday afternoons at Darwen Leisure Centre and Thursday evenings at Padiham Town Hall.

At a surprise party, nearly 100 dancers from all over Lancashire and organist Philip Randles joined the couple at Padiham to share a supper and present them with a bouquet of flowers and a plaque, thanking them for their years of service.

Barbara, 68, and Bert, 71, met as teenagers through dancing when Bert was in the navy. They married at St James's Church, Darwen, on November 15, 1947.

Barbara said: "Everyone says we don't look our age and we certainly don't feel it. I am sure dancing keeps us young."

The couple, of Tower Road, Blackburn, are known all over the north and used to compete in championships.

Barbara said: "We have made thousands of friends and it is a wonderful way to keep fit. Anyone who wants to join our classes can just come along."

They plan to celebrate their anniversary with a family meal.

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