Russel and Alison Ainsley have celebrated a remarkable 70 years of marriage.

The couple, who wed at Brunswick Methodist Church in Newcastle in 1954, marked the milestone on September 18.

Having moved to Hexham in the early 1960s, Mr Ainsley established the Hexham branch of the Newcastle and Gateshead Water Company.

The couple, who have lived in their current home since 1966, are proud parents to three children, grandparents to seven, and great-grandparents to three.

The pair have always been active within the community.

Mr Ainsley joined Hexham Amateur Stage Society in 1963 for its production of Lolanthe.

He worked backstage and then chorus before becoming front of house manager, a role that he is still doing to this day.

Mrs Ainsley joined the society in 1976 as a chorus member, then a prompter, and finally the society treasurer, a role that she is also still doing today.

Both are also longstanding members of Tynedale Lions Club, of which Mr Ainsley was president in 1994 and 2000.

The couple received a card from King Charles and Queen Camilla, and celebrated with more than 20 family members the weekend after their anniversary.