Ella and her 'toyboy' to celebrate 60 happy years

Alex and Ella McRobb are set to celebrate their diamond wedding anniversary more than sixty years after romance blossomed in the cinemas and dance halls of Leith.

Ella, 81, was brought up in the Citadel in Leith, while Alex - two years her junior at 79 and jokingly referred to by family members as Ella's "toyboy" - grew up in Sheriff Brae.

Ella attended the Cooper Street School, and Alex was a pupil at Dr Bell's School on Great Junction Street.

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The couple met after Ella took an evening job as an usherette at The Palace picture house at the Foot of the Walk - Alex would go there just to see Ella, and eventually he worked up the nerve to ask her out.

They both loved dancing, and so their first date was spent at the Eldorado dance hall.

The couple were married in South Leith Parish Church on December 16, 1950. They originally lived in Leith, but later moved to Corstorphine, where they reside to this day.

They had three children, daughter Lynda, and two sons, James and the late Alistair.

While working at the picture house in the evenings, Ella also spent her days working in the bakehouse for the Co-op, which was known locally as the "store", on Bangor Road. After that she moved on to McDonald and Muir Bond where she worked as a charge hand.

Ella liked to be busy, and after her retirement in 1991, rather than stay at home with little to do, she helped Lynda in running her hair salon. She ended up working there for a further ten years.

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Alex started working as a carter at the age of 14, helping his father carry coal. He then went on to National Service, which was spent in the army. He was based in Fife during this time.

After completing his National Service he worked as a lorry driver for Saddlers, then as a crane driver with Henderson's and Bernard Hunter. His last place of work was RB Anderson's, where he worked until his retirement in 1994.

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The couple own a caravan which they have used to take holidays all over Great Britain, Wales being a favourite destination. They also enjoy travelling abroad and have enjoyed holidays in a variety of places in Europe, ranging from Italy to Yugoslavia.

Their lives are all about their family. "They live for this family," says daughter Lynda, who is married to Charles.

Lynda and Charles have two children, Lisa and the late Nicola. James is married to Annette, and they have two children, Simon and Laura. Alex and Ella also have two great-grandchildren, Connor, 12, and Taylor, ten, who are very special to them. Spending time with their family, especially their two young great-grandchildren, is very important to the couple.

They feel lucky to have their family all living close by in Edinburgh.

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