A VALE couple were given a diamond wedding present which was truly out of this world.

Dennis and Edna Spencer, of Owletts Lane, Wick, had a star named after them by their grandchildren to celebrate the occasion.

Dennis, who is a keen astronomer, said the star, named Edna and Dennis Diamond 2002, was an "absolutely wonderful present."

Dennis and Edna met in Kings Norton in 1939 after a trip to the cinema with friends.

He recalled: "I thought she looked nice, so I went over and talked to her and we've been together ever since."

They married in 1942 at St Francis Church in Bournville, which they revisited last week after their son, Robert, contacted the vicar who agreed to open up the church for them.

Dennis said: "It hadn't changed all that much at all, even some of the shops were still there."

After returning from serving in Burma during the war, Dennis took a job with Post Office Telephones in Worcester where he worked for 36 years.

Edna started off working at Cadburys in Bournville, then moved to Cadbury Cakes in Worcester, before also getting a job with Post Office Telephones. The couple worked at the same firm for about seven and a half years.

They celebrated their 60 years together with a meal for family and friends at The Perry Hall Hotel in Bromsgrove, which was where they used to go dancing, which is something that they still do regularly today, visiting venues in Evesham, Worcester and Bromsgrove every week.

As for the secret of a long and happy marriage, Dennis said: "A lot of it is love, we've always been in love."