IT was a double celebration for a Wolverley woman who celebrated her 94th birthday only a few weeks after her 73rd wedding anniversary.

Lily Penny and her husband Bill Penny, 93, moved to Knight Court in Wolverley nearly three years ago.

They met at the age of 13 and got married on February 1, 1941. Mrs Penny celebrated her birthday last Thursday.

Mr Penny, originally from Birmingham, said: "When we were 13, we lived fairly close to each other on the estate. I was riding along on my bike and I came off and she came over to me.

"There's nothing magical about being married for 73 years. We’ve just lived for one another."

The couple spent time apart during the Second World War as Mr Penny was stationed in Burma.

He added: "During the war, Lily had to move from house to house and different friends took her in. When I returned from Burma, I found out she was living in Bournville.

"When I knocked the door she nearly fainted. I was in my Burma uniform with a cowboy hat on."

Mr Penny left the armed forces in 1947 and the couple bought a home in Birmingham and lived there for 52 years. He was a sheet metal worker until he retired at 65.

He added: "I wasn’t frightened of retirement. I wanted to retire they was so much I wanted to do. I altered the house completely and I did all the brickwork and wood work myself."

They have two children, two grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Mr Penny added: "She has dementia. I have to do everything. We do get a lot of help but I’ve never wanted it, I’d rather struggle on my own.

"My biggest fear is that she’ll be taken away from me but I’ve been assured that she won’t."