Seventy - Love ... Falkirk tennis fans Syd and Enid are a perfect match

Syd and Enid Reid, both 92, first laid eyes on each when they were in their early 20s and attending the church they were soon to be married in – St Mary’s in Liverpool

Fast forward over seven decades and the couple are living together in Falkirk and about to mark their platinum – yes platinum – wedding anniversary.

Did they know after they tied the knot at St Mary's Church on March 31, 1951, they would still be together for the next 70 years?

"We didn’t think about things like that back in those days,” said Enid. “After we met at church nobody really proposed to anybody, we just took it for granted we would get married.

"It was a rainy day but there were lots of friends and family there.”

When the newly married couple started their life together Enid worked in the public health department and Syd was employed by Liverpool Council.

However, it was his work with the Atomic Energy Authority and move to Windscale in Cumbria for six years which laid the foundation for the couple’s odyssey north of the border, as a friend told Syd about a job opportunity with BP in Grangemouth.

Now located in Scotland, Syd stayed busy in BP and Enid trained as a nurse, securing a job in the gynaecology unit of Falkirk Royal Infirmary.

By that time eldest son Alex had arrived on the scene, followed by brothers Duncan and Ian.

The family grew over the years and Syd and Enid eventually welcomed grandchildren Martin, Blair, Courtney and Lewis and then great grandchild Lucas.

So what is the secret to reaching the rare milestone of a 70th wedding anniversary?

Enid said: "We just get on with it and we don’t have many arguments – a few niggles."

“I just do as I’m told,” laughed Syd. “We’ve had our ups and downs but we always got on very well together.”

Having shared interests was also a bonus, with both Syd and Enid loving to play a wide variety of sports.

"We also played badminton and tennis,” said Enid. “Syd even played baseball in Warrington.”

Syd said: “We played the American Air Force servicemen, who beat us of course.”

The sporty couple will be taking it easy on their big day tomorrow and enjoy safe COVID-19-friendly visits from family members at various times.

They had originally planned to have a family celebration in the Leapark Hotel in Grangemouth, where they marked their diamond wedding anniversary in 2011, but the current COVID-19 restrictions put that on hold.

Enid said: “If things were different we would have had a big celebration. We will be getting some food in. We aren’t really inviting anyone with the way things are just now – people can’t come into our house – but they can come if they want to.”