When Sue and Terry Gristwood first met as teenagers they weren’t particularly interested in each other.

But on Saturday, the Oxford couple celebrated 50 years of marriage after a unexpected kiss under the mistletoe on New Year’s Eve brought them together.

The pair, of Stowford Road, Barton, first met at the Wesley Memorial Church youth club in New Inn Hall Street.

But Mrs Gristwood, 68, who was born in Headington, said: “I didn’t think anything about Terry and he didn’t think anything about me.

“We just bumped into each other all the time.”

Then the pair met again, in the Northgate Tavern in Cornmarket, months later and shared a kiss on the stairway.

Some 13 months later they were married at Lime Walk Methodist Church which they still attend every Sunday.

Mrs Gristwood, nee Eeley, said they were now very proud of what they had achieved together but could not believe it had been 50 years.

She said: “We don’t even feel old.

“If you say it’s your 50th anniversary you think of old people, so it feels a bit strange. But we are very proud.”

She said the secret to the marriage was tolerating each other.

She added: “We have just stayed friends. We have never even really had a blazing row.”

Mr Gristwood, 70, who was born in Jericho, said: “We have just got on together. Our interests are the same.”

He also agreed it was not love at first sight. He said: “We had seen each other for years.

“I just caught her once coming down the stairs and that was it really. It just went on from there and here we are now.”

The pair hosted a barbecue for family and friends at the Butcher’s Arms in Wilberforce Street on Saturday. Three of Sue’s bridesmaids came along – her nieces Lorna Stubbs, Karen Cox and Margaret Atkin.

The couple have two daughters – Debbie Gristwood, 48, of Risinghurst, and Simone Empson, 46, of Wootton near Woodstock.

And they have three grand- children – Brayden Shields, 20, Imogen Bradley, 21, and Freya Bradley, 17.

Mr Gristwood worked at Eagle Ironworks in Jericho for 12 years before working at Pressed Steel for another 12.

Mrs Gristwood worked at Morris’ trim shop for four years before having their children.

She then worked as a barmaid at the Britannia Inn in Headington and then at Hudson’s fruit machines for about 20 years.