ONE Tullibody couple share their golden celebration this week as they mark 50 years of married life together.

Stewart and Eleanor Murphy (nee Kelly) first met at the dancing in Sauchie Hall on a Saturday night, where they got to talking.

Then, after around a year of courtship, he decided to surprise her with a proposal while they were on a day trip to Edinburgh.

Now, more than five decades later, they are getting ready to observe a special milestone – their golden wedding anniversary this Friday, March 30.

The couple are also well-known in the county for their commitment to fostering youngsters over the years.

Eleanor and Stewart, who were wed in Grangemouth Parish Church, spent around five years in Alloa before relocating to Tullibody.

There have been many highlights for them, including the regular holidays they used to take to destinations abroad.

Now retired, they enjoy spending time at a caravan in Arbroath where they can make the most of the sea air and the views.

They are have three children, eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren to keep them busy.

And their loved ones are incredibly important to them, with Stewart saying: “As long as our family and everything is alright, we are quite happy.”

During their working lives they spent time at Donaldson's mill, with Stewart going on to work at the distillery in Cambus and running the Bridge Pub in Alloa.

Thereafter, he spent 20 years as a porter at Stirling Royal Infirmary, where Eleanor was an auxilliary nurse for 15 years.

The pair also fostered around 25 different children over the course of two decades.

Stewart said: “Eleanor was fond of kids; she loves kids.

“We just sort of got into fostering just to help people out and give them a better life.

“It was rewarding to see them growing up and getting married and things like that.”

Stewart, 70, and Eleanor 67, who also enjoy the occasional bus tour, will celebrate their marriage at the Birds and the Bees in Stirling.

And the secret to their long-lasting union is being a team, making decisions together and spending time with one another.

Stewart said: “It is just about doing everything together, we never argue and things like that.”