A loved-up Budleigh Salterton couple are in high spirits after celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary.

IF PEOPLE compared the success of marriage to sporting events, then a Budleigh Salterton couple would qualify to stand on an Olympic podium and each receive a gold medal.

That’s because Martin and Jennifer Teed, of Granary Lane, have proved that true love can last as they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary last week.

They marked the special occasion at a function held at the Long Range Hotel which was attended by their friends and family.

Jennifer, 68, said: “It was the most gorgeous evening - they pulled out all the stops. We had balloons, cards, flowers and a cake. Everybody had a wonderful time.”

The couple, who have lived in Budleigh Salterton all throughout their marriage, have two children, Mark and Ginnia. They also have four grandchildren, Hannah, Immie, Kate and Louis.

When asked what the key ingredient was to a long and happy marriage, Jennifer said: “Give and take.

“We’re still very much in love – well, most of the time anyway,” she joked.

The couple met when Jennifer was aged 16 and married two years later.

“I used to come down to Exmouth on holiday from London. As we were walking around with our various relatives, we just sort of eyed one another up.

“We rather liked what we saw. One evening I escaped from my family and then somehow or another, we just met up. The rest, as they say, is history.”

Martin, 73, who was born in the seaside town of Budleigh Salterton, said he and his wife have shared a lot of the same interests throughout their lives together.

“We play table tennis a lot and take part in rifle shooting. We also do plenty of walking together, enjoy gardening, have meals out and like going on holiday,” he said.

In terms of their shared interest in shooting, a pastime which Martin is still involved with, his wife famously represented Great Britain and won a number of medals.

Jennifer said, as well as the birth of their children, one of their fondest memories as a couple was a three week cruise they went on in 1989.

“We travelled to Borneo, Shanghai and Singapore. It was a wonderful, once in a lifetime holiday.”