Halifax friends recreate first holiday photo 50 years on

Carol Ansbro, 70, Marion Bamforth, 69, Susan Morris, 69, and Mary Helliwell, 69, all went on holiday together to Torquay, Devon, in 1972.

And they loved their week-long stay in the seaside resort so much they vowed to repeat it when they started celebrating their 70th birthdays.

Tory leader Ted Heath was prime minister when they first visited Torquay and the UK has had 11 others PMs since.

The pals, all from Halifax, returned to the town to recreate their cherished holiday snap - and even wore identical or similar outfits to the original.

Grandmother-of-five Susan said: "Our first holiday in Torquay was truly amazing.

"We were only kids and so excited about tasting real scrumpy for the first time, staying in a cramped caravan and sharing each other's clothes.

This photo was taken in 1972 - showing Carol Ansbro, Marion Bamforth, Susan Morris, and Mary Helliwell on holiday together in Torquay, Devon (Image: SWNS) ''It felt really exotic and grown-up being on our own without parents in the English Riviera.

"The picture was taken by those photographers who used to roam the promenade preying on unsuspecting tourists like us."

Mary, a grandmother-of-four, said the pals struggled at the first to find the exact location of where the 1972 snap was taken.

She said: ''Nobody could remember where the photo took place but, luckily, a member of staff at the hotel where we were staying, guided us to the exact spot.

''The white building in the 1972 photograph had been demolished but the same bridge is still in the background."

Flash forward 50 years, Carol Ansbro, Marion Bamforth, Susan Morris, and Mary Helliwell returned to Torquay, Devon and recreated the original photo (Image: SWNS) The women - who have been friends since primary school - changed into their 1972-inspired outfits in a public toilet.

Carol, a former hospice nurse, said that even though trying to get changed was "very awkward", it was worth it because the photo is "amazing."

She said: "We had to change into our 1972-style outfits in a public toilet.

'"It was very cramped and very awkward.

"But all the pushing and shoving in the public loo was worth it.

"The photo is amazing."

Great-grandmother Marion, who previously worked as an accounts manager, said taking the second photograph was really "emotional" for them.

She said: "I still can't believe it actually happened.

"It truly was an emotional moment."