A GENEROUS couple celebrated their golden wedding anniversary by collecting hundreds of pounds in donations for Bury Hospice.

Elaine and Barry Kiely, of Ainsworth Road, Bury, decided that, instead of presents, they would ask friends and family members for charitable donations to the hospice, where Elaine’s mum Emily Settle was cared for.

The couple, who were married on March 16, 1965, ultimately raised £650 and were delighted with the response, after anniversary celebrations that spanned weeks.

Elaine, aged 67, said: “My mum was in the hospice so I thought that we really should do something for them.

“We don’t need any presents, so it was nice to do something for people who need it.

“It was really lovely that people were so generous.”

As well as taking a trip to Skegness for a Butlins rock and roll-themed holiday, the couple, who met when they were 16, delayed their anniversary party so that relatives from Australia could pay them a visit.

Elaine discovered six years ago that she had a long-lost brother living Down Under, Graham Turner, and this year they finally had the chance to meet his children.

Elaine added: “I had lost two brothers when I was young, so I’ve been the only one since I was 14.

“He had been adopted as a child and moved to Australia when he was two.

“This is the third time he has been over since he found me, but this time he brought two of his children which was lovely.”

The couple have two children, five grandchildren, and two great grandchildren.