YOU are never too old to be in love and three couples with a total of 172 years of marriage between them proved so.

But the road to true love did not always run smoothly.

Ralph and Sheila Cook's wedding car caught fire on the way to the reception while Mary Hamblion says the secret to her successful marriage is husband, Malcolm, doing what he is told.

Mr Cook and Mrs Hamblion are residents at Alderwood Care Home in Colchester along with Keith Frost who has been married to his wife, Doreen, for 55 years.

All three couples were treated to a special Valentine's Day meal which included champagne and roses.

Mary, 76, and Malcolm Hamblion, 78, have been married for 57 years after tying the knot at Boxted Church in April 1960.

Gazette:

They first met at the cinema when Malcolm was 16 and Mary was 13.

Their secret was to always stay close and Mary added: "For Malcolm to do what he's told."

Ralph, 93, and Sheila Cook, 86, said they also hate to be apart and recently celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary.

Ralph, then 30, met Sheila in Spain in 1954 and proposed at the end of a two week holiday.

She said: "Our wedding car caught fire on the way to the reception because of an electrical fault but we settled into married life in Colchester and had one son, and now have two grandchildren."

She added: "Our tip for a long and happy marriage is tolerance and being best friends."

Keith, 84, and Doreen Frost, 80, met when they were 21 and 17 when Doreen worked with Keith's sister in a drapers shop.

Gazette:

They were married in St Andrew's Church, Greenstead, Colchester, in July 1961 and Doreen remembers the weather was unbearably hot.

The couple, who have two children, advised newly weds to give and take in their relationship to ensure they stay together.

Nikki Leaney, manager of Alderwood, said they understood at the home that love makes the world go round.

She said: "It’s so important they can be together as much as possible and when the spouses visit – which they all do several times each week.

"We make sure they have the privacy they need to live life as a couple and continue to honour their vows."