Holiday reunion: Four Halifax pensioners recreate first parent-free holiday to Torquay they enjoyed when they were teens

In 1972, Marion Bamforth, Susan Smith, Carol Bancroft and Mary Frame were aged 17 and on their first parent-free holiday in Torquay.

They enjoyed their week-long stay in the Devon seaside resort so much that they vowed to repeat their Torquay trip when they were 70.

And to commemorate their return journey down south, they even replicated the photograph they had taken of themselves in Torquay as teenagers - right down to wearing the same clothing.

Susan – now a mother of two daughters and five grandchildren – 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.

''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 mother of two and grandmother of four – explained that they struggled at 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 the1972 photograph had been demolished but the same bridge is still in the background.

Fellow Torquay tripper Marion - who has two children, three grandchildren and a great-grandchild - said the second photograph proved really emotional for them.

''I still can't believe it actually happened,” she said. “It truly was an emotional moment.

Carol – mother of one – explained the almost-comical nature of getting changed for the second photo.

''We had to change into our 1972-style outfits in a public toilet,'' she said.

''It was very cramped and very awkward. But all the pushing and shoving in the public loo was worth it. The photo is amazing."