Romance blossomed for long-distance pen-pals who struck up their relationship in their golden years.

And to prove it's never too say "I do" Irene Cowling,89 and Frank Ramskill, 92 will be tying the knot at Rochester's Corn Exchange.

Frank, a former miner and Royal Marine, proposed to Irene on her birthday at a family lunch on Irene's birthday last December.

It all started when great-gran Irene moved to Spain after her husband died and 13 years ago answered a newspaper advert to correspond with a friend in the UK.

She took a shine to Frank who was living in Derbyshire and the rest is history. In May 2005 Irene returned form a holiday to find her first letter from Frank and that October she invited him to stay at her bungalow on te Costa Blanca.

Irene went to meet him at Alicante airport and when he did not show nearly an hour after plane had landed she was convinced he had changed his mind.

She said: "And then I saw him whizzing down a slope with his trolley like a big kid and I thought that was just wonderful."

Frank who has been married twice before, said " let's hope it's third time lucky".

He said: "She wrote about 96 letters and I replied to every single one of them, It cost a fortune in stamps and telephone calls."

When the the couple returned to England they moved near Chesterfield but came to Medway to be near Irene's daughter, Wendy.

During a holiday in Somerset, Frank broke his hip which has limited his mobility,so Wendy found them a home in Parkwood near where she lives she lives.

Daughter Wendy is her wedding planner as well as her matron of honour and had been responsible for fixing the venue and reception.,

Frank proposed out of the blue when the conversation at the Sunday lunch turned to weddings

He joked: "She had already turned me down twice, so I didn't bother to bring along a ring.. But I did go down on one knee.

Irene said: " I thought why not?We want a secure future together and I wanted to be a Mrs Ramskill.

Frank and Irene will marry at the Corn Exchange on Saturday April 21, followed by a reception at the United Services Club In Rainham,