AN INSEPARABLE couple who celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary this week have offered pearls of wisdom on how to sustain a marathon marriage.

Keen gardeners George, 93, and Cassie Chapman, 92, believe that active lives and a love of shared interests have kept them young at heart.

Mrs Chapman still does her own painting and decorating, while her husband worked until he was 81 mowing lawns.

The couple, who live in Hartburn, near Stockton, said that preparing meals from scratch and eating fresh produce from their well-stocked back garden have helped to keep them healthy.

Mrs Chapman said the key to a happy marriage was to always put the other person first.

“You have to be prepared to give more than you take and you must always help each other. Being married is a full-time job in itself, but you have to make the best of it,” she said.

“We are the best of friends as we never nag or harp on about things. If you have a disagreement, make your point but then leave it and never go to bed on an argument.”

Mr Chapman had known his bride-tobe since they were children, as both came from farming families living over the fields from each other in North Lincolnshire. A year after their wedding day on October 1, 1938, he was called up to the RAF at the outbreak of the Second World War, leaving his wife and six-week-old baby son, Norman, behind.

When he returned five years later, he became a building site foreman and eventually a gas pipe fitter, a job which took him all over the country before they settled in Hartburn.

After opening a congratulatory card from the Queen, the couple enjoyed a family party on Wednesday with their two children, eight grandchildren, four great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren to celebrate their platinum anniversary.

Mr Chapman said: “We are lucky as we have a wonderful family and are very loved.”