‘SHE’S my soul mate’ says a Worcester pensioner after celebrating his golden wedding anniversary with his wife.

Rob and Sue Skinner, who met through the Scouts Association as teens, celebrated their marriage of 50 years on Friday, August 23.

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Mr Skinner, 77, said: “What’s special about Sue? Well our relationship has always been good. We just get on so well.

“We have one rule and that’s we don’t go to sleep until we have sorted out our problems.

“We have always done a lot of things together. I have known Sue for 60 years and I cannot imagine life without her. I must admit, it does not seem anywhere that long and I would not change Sue for anyone else.

“She’s my soul mate, my friend and my rock.”

Mr Skinner says his advice for a happy marriage is to do things together, but also have independence, adding: “Most importantly, give lots of hugs.”

After the first time the couple met, Mr Skinner said he immediately took a shine to soon-to-be Mrs Skinner and asked her out on a date.

He added: “We met on a Scout competition. When we got home, I asked her out. I knew I liked her straight away. She has a very calm nature now, but she wasn’t always like this. She had fiery ginger hair – so her personality went with it.”

The pair courted for four years before they got married, and went on to have two daughters, Michelle and Sally.

The family are well known in the St John’s area of Worcester.

Mrs Skinner, aged 72, worked for the Red Cross as a county youth officer, while Mr Skinner was deputy district commissioner at the Scouts.

He is also concert secretary of the Worcester Male Voices Choir, where Mrs Skinner often supports him in the audience.

The pair will be marking their anniversary with a holiday in Cornwall, where they spent their honeymoon and early years together as a couple.

The couple loved to travel around the world, however they now enjoy making trips across the UK.