With the motto of “live for the moment and plan for the future”, Harrington couple Katherine Jean and Lawrence Berwick couple are not your average octogenarians.

The pair – who celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary this week – share a love of motorbikes, which started when they were first courting and continues to this day.

Katherine Jean – known as Jean – had a lift on her sister’s boyfriend’s motorbike and the next day Lawrence went out and bought one so that he

could pillion Jean instead.

They went on their honeymoon to Glasgow on their motorbike, had a fall, picked themselves up, laughed and carried on.

Still riding at least once a week, the couple now have a Goldwing trike and take part in charity rides, such as tin runs and Easter egg collection trips.

Jean went paragliding three weeks ago. She has also been a diver, used to swim for Workington, has parachuted for charity and, along with her husband, is a keen sailing enthusiast.

Originally Jean lived at the Quay on Henry Street, Workington, and Lawrence was born in Harrington.

They met when she was 15 and he was 16, then married in St Michael’s Church in Workington on September 20 1958 when Jean was 19 and Lawrence was 21.

Lawrence worked at the steelworks, then at Thames Board for 34 years. Jean worked at many factories but could not settle as her real passion lay in nursing. She tried and passed the nursing exam on a Friday and started work as an SEN nurse on the Monday.

It was a job she enjoyed for 30 years.

The pair have travelled the world extensively and have been on over 30 cruises, including on the Queen Mary. Their destinations have included Australia, China, the Panama Canal, the Suez Canal, Greenland and America, and they have walked the coast to coast route twice.

As their two daughters, Alison and Linda, and four grandchildren, William, Katherine, Sam and Tariq, all live away, they plan to celebrate their diamond wedding anniversary with a cruise to Gibraltar on board the ship Britannia.

On the secret of staying together for so long, Jean said: “He does as he’s told.”

Lawrence replied: “That’s right. Always say yes – it’s too complicated to say no.”