After overcoming early opposition to their relationship because one was a protestant and the other a Roman Catholic, the Rev Ian Froom and his wife Mary have celebrated their golden wedding anniversary surrounded by family, friends and parishioners.

The pair first met in the 1960s when Mr Froom was working for a building firm in Lyme Regis and his wife-to-be, a nurse, took a job at a nursing home, where he was helping build an extension. "I saw him every day and didn't even look a second time at him," said Mrs Froom, "but he told his friend 'I'm going to marry that girl.'"

A self-confessed "old romantic" Mr Froom offered her a lift home and the pair spent hours sitting in his pick-up outside her flat just talking. From there they never looked back, despite the hurdles their religions threw in their way.

After attending agricultural college, working as a plumber's mate and in a petrol garage and being rejected from the police force because he wore glasses, Mr Froom was accepted to train as an Anglican priest which meant the pair spent much of the first years of married life living apart.

They were married in September 1966, but by their first anniversary Mr Froom was at theological college. This meant he had to "live in" during the week, leaving his wife living on her own in a flat with them only being reunited at weekends.

That wasn't the only difficulty faced by the newlyweds. "It was tough at the start with me being a practicing Roman Catholic and Ian being a practicing Anglican priest," said Mrs Froom, 80.

Her husband added: "At the beginning it caused problems but the divisions have largely dissolved now and people are a lot more understanding about this situation. When we were married, marriages between Roman Catholics and protestants were frowned upon - it's just a measure of how times have changed."

The couple lived and worked in Dorset, the West Midlands and Weston-super-Mare before coming to Truro. Mr Froom retired from the churches of St George with St John in the city and they came to Falmouth to live 13-years-ago, but has found himself "busier than I normally would be."

This is because Mr Froom, 74, stands in to take services at All Saints' Parish Church and Falmouth Parish Church when needed and is also covering the churches at Flushing, Mylor and Mawnan Smith.

In addition, he is chaplain to Falmouth's mayor, Grenville Chappel; is staff chaplain to the Sea Cadets and is one of eight chaplains to Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service, responsible for Falmouth, Truro and St Mawes fire stations.

Despite their busy schedules, Mrs Froom is a cleaner at St Mary's Church, the pair took time out to celebrate their 50 years of marriage. They had open house sessions in the morning and afternoon when they greeted many friends, and enjoyed lunch at the Falmouth Hotel with 17 family members.

In the evening they went to mass at St Mary's which was followed by a reception for them in the Church Hall. This had been organised by parishioners who had decorated the hall with flowers, golden drapes and photographs of the Frooms through the ages. Sunday morning, Mr Froom celebrated mass at All Saints', where he has been covering for Fr Stephen Drakeley, before the congregation there joined in the celebrations with a cake.

Asked the secret of a long and happy marriage, Mr Froom said: "By and large it's a question of accepting each others pros and cons and honouring your vows. Realising what our faith means to us helps us get through the tough times as well as the good time."