A couple who had not seen their bridesmaid for 50 years have been reunited - thanks to The Argus.

Sylvia Grindley could not believe her eyes when she opened the paper to find a picture of herself, aged 12, in a bonnet and pink dress.

She had been a bridesmaid at the wedding of Lilian and Stan Sanders half a century ago. When Sylvia, 62, saw pictures of the couple to mark their golden wedding, she was determined to get back in touch.

Sylvia, of Nursery Close, Shoreham, said: "I squealed. I didn't recognise Sylvia and Stan as such but I just said to my husband, Frank, 'There's a photo of me in the Argus'.

"It is nice because even though I was much younger, it is still my past and mum would have loved it."

Lilian and Sylvia first met through their mothers' friendship.

Lilian lived in a flat with her mother, who was friends with a woman who lived upstairs with her daughter. Sylvia's mum was also friendly with the woman, so Sylvia and the other girl were asked to be bridesmaids at Lilian's wedding in 1951.

They lost touch afterwards, when Sylvia moved away.

Lilian said: "We were friends and the girls were roughly the same age so they were our bridesmaids.

"Sylvia had a pretty face and used to have fair hair. I thought she would look nice with a bonnet.

"Hearing from her was a bolt out of the blue and it is a nice end to our golden wedding anniversary."

Stan, 78, and Lilian, 76, of Cowper Street, Hove, sat down to enjoy tea and biscuits and catch up on old times with Sylvia and her husband Frank, 66.

They had plenty to discuss, from people they used to know and where they used to live to how they had been living in the same area but had never met.

Since they last saw each other, Lilian has had three children, six grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

Sylvia, who works in a pharmacy in Shoreham, has two children and six grandchildren.

They have now decided to have a big get-together and let both families meet each other.

Stan said: "It is absolutely wonderful, really wonderful. Amazing. We will definitely be getting together again."