A COUPLE who have devoted their lives to a Malvern church have it to thank for their golden wedding.

Not only is it where Terry and Elizabeth Blake have devoted much of their time together over the past 50 years - it is where they met all those years ago.

Mr Blake was a regular at Malvern Link's United Reformed Church. But Mrs Blake, from Birmingham, had never visited the church until her training as a nurse called her to Malvern.

She popped in and met her future husband, who has been attending the church since he moved to Malvern as a ten-year-old.

Now the pair spend much of their time working there. Mr Blake, 73, has been church secretary for the past 35 years and Mrs Blake, 71, is a Bible Society representative.

"The secret to a good marriage is supporting each other through any difficulties," said Mr Blake. "Even when you have your ups and downs you've got to stick by each other."

Friends from the church joined the couple's son Stuart and his wife Carol, along with their children Michael, nine, and Jessica, eight, at a special service on Sunday to mark their anniversary.

The United Reformed minister, Rev Denis Simons, paid tribute to the couple.

"They both mean a lot to the congregation here and it's rare that a couple remain involved with the same church for so long," he said.