AN Irvine couple with a special birthday date have defied the odds with their long and happy relationship surviving 50 years.

The family of Alan and Sandra Christie are set to celebrate the couple’s festive golden wedding.

The pair met at Sandra’s 13th birthday party and quickly learned they shared the same birthday.

They became friends and later developed a relationship. Both born and bred in Irvine they now stay at MacKinnon Terrace.

They married on Saturday, December 19, 1964 and after the nuptials they had a quiet dinner at Sandra’s mother's house.

And what really makes this duo special is that they share everything, including birthday’s for 53 years now.

The couple were featured in the Irvine Times back in 2008 when the couple turned 60.

But Sandra insists that she is younger than her spouse, by four hours.

Speaking then about when they met, Sandra said: “I had my 13th birthday in the house and we happened to be talking.

"He said ‘It’s my birthday today’ and I said ‘aye, right’ and that was pretty much how we met. We’ve been together ever since.” Alan and Sandra have two sons - Jim and Alan Jnr and three grandchildren Jack, Lewis and Daniel.

Best wishes to the couple from everyone at the Irvine Times.