TRIBUTES have been paid to a Whitefield couple lovingly described as two "peas in a pod" who died days apart.

Bill Taggart, aged 90, died "of a broken heart" five days after his beloved wife Joyce, also 90, passed away in Fairfield Hospital on January 12, following a short spell with pneumonia.

The devoted pair met at Manchester Plaza in the late 1940s and married at Stand All Saints Church, Whitefield on July 28, 1951, and were known by many in the Whitefield, Bury and Radcliffe areas.

The loving couple — who never spent a day apart — were laid to rest on Friday at a joint service by their family including sons Kevin and Gary, daughter-in-laws Karen and Angela, grandchildren Hayley, Sally, Leigh and Emma and great grandchildren Leah and Daisy May.

Kevin Taggart, aged 59, who lives in Bury, said: "Mum and dad were so devoted to each other. They were kindness personified and their togetherness was a wonder to see. They fed off each other and it really is no surprise that they have both passed away so close to each other."

After leaving school aged 16, Mr Taggart worked as a trainee chef at The Midland Hotel in Manchester, before moving to James Halstead's at Radcliffe New Road, Whitefield, producing floor coverings.

Mrs Taggart left school aged 14 and worked at Henleys, a local factory in the Hillock Estate in Whitefield two years later, before joining Jane N Phillips as a secretary.

When they first married they lived with Mr Taggart's parents in Hulme, Manchester until they could afford a deposit for a house in Sion Street, Radcliffe.

When their son Kevin was six they moved to Thorpe Street in Whitefield, where Gary was born and spent 50 happy years there before going into a Sheltered Scheme at Elms Farm, Whitefield in 2012.

They a private carer, Stephanie, who went the extra mile for them, before going in to Abbeydale Care Home in Bury in the weeks up to their death.

Kevin said: "They were well known by so many in the area. Mum loved knitting, reading and dancing, while dad was into boxing, football and horse racing.

"They were very close and never spent a day apart in their many together. They will be missed by many."