A COUPLE who met at a funfair and have been having fun together ever since are celebrating their Golden Wedding Anniversary next Saturday.

Derek and Hazel Cooper, of Clarke Crescent, Hale, met at a fair in Plymouth. Derek was on a break from National Service with the Navy, and Hazel was on holiday in the area with some friends.

Hazel, 71, says: "Derek was on a ride at the fair and his hat fell off! I went to give it him back, and that was how we met."

The couple met every three months from then on, and wrote to each other regularly. They then got married near Hazel's home in Coventry, before moving to Hale.

They went on honeymoon to Matlock, but Hazel says: "It rained every day!" Derek, 72, worked as a postman in Altrincham for 31 years, while Hazel was employed as a domestic cleaner for 37 years.

Hazel and Derek have one son, Alan, who celebrates his Silver Wedding Anniversary soon after their Golden Anniversary. They also have two granddaughters.

Hazel says that give and take is important for a successful marriage. She adds: "You have to take the rough with the smooth."

The couple are celebrating their anniversary with a family get together at their home.

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.