THERE was once a time when marriage seemed to be on the wane and it was the trend to live together.

But now the age-old institution is coming back into fashion after the recent spate of high profile celebrity marriages, such as that of Victoria and David Beckham.

So much so, that the importance of saying "I do" is about to be celebrated in National Marriage week, which starts on Monday.

The latest figures from the Office of National Statistics show that Bolton is in line with the rest of the country and the number of people getting married in the town is rising for the first time in almost a decade. In 2000 the number of weddings in Bolton rose by almost 100 from 1,238 to 1,324 while the divorce rate fell by almost two per cent. Bolton Parish Church's Canon Michael Williams stresses that marriage is an important mark of stability for people and gives them something more than simply living together could.

He says: "In the minds of many people marriage went out of fashion for a while and many people said it was not for them. But now the generation that thought that, is coming back to the idea. We are taking bookings for 2004 right now."

Bolton celebrity TV presenter Vernon Kay is one of a number of young people from the town who have decided to tie the knot.

Vernon said that when he proposed to his lady love, Tess Daly, he went down on one knee: "It seemed the right thing to do," he said, "I am very much looking forward to marrying Tess." Tess said: "It was the shock of my life when he asked me, but I am absolutely delighted."

A Deane couple are among many who will testify that marriage is something to treasure.

Ernest and Maries Buckley will soon celebrate their 60th anniversary.

They married in 1943 and say the key to a lasting relationship for young people is working hard and making sure they are doing it for the right reasons.

Marie said: " You have to work together through the good times and the more difficult times. We are no different to any other couple and somehow we have managed."

Senior lecturer in psychology at Salford University, Dr Ashley Wineberg says the security factor plays a major role.

He says: "That is one of the key reasons for people getting married in terms of relationships but also, for males in particular, it is about passing on your genes and ensuring children are yours."

He adds: "In World War Two a lot of people married and given the current uncertain climate in the Middle East that could be a reason for marriage rates rising."

However, he could not be sure if the large amount of recent celebrity marriages would influence young people to do the same.

He says: "There is no real way of telling how much influence they have on people's decision to get married but given that people do name their children after those of celebrities it could certainly be a factor."

A Deane couple are among many who will testify that marriage is something which should always be in fashion. Ernest and Marie Buckley will soon celebrate their Diamond anniversary.

They married in 1943 and say the key to a lasting relationship for young people is working hard and making sure they are doing it for the right reasons.

Marie adds: "You have to work together through both the good times and the more difficult times. We are no different to any other couple and somehow we have managed."

'I love her to bits and quite simply I could not see myself being with anyone else'

Horwich couple Daniel Lee and Kelly Higginson are among thousands of young people who are planning to marry.

They had been talking about taking the plunge for some time before they announced their engagement over Christmas.

Daniel, aged 24, says: "It is a commitment thing, we were stable enough anyway but we had talked about it for a while.

"I love her to bits and quite simply I could not see myself being with anyone else. It is not a fashion thing or anything. I would have done it anyway." Fiancee Kelly, aged 20, also stressed the importance of the bond that getting married brings.

She said: "I think it is just a bigger commitment than anything else, like living together. It is a personal preference what you do, but for us marriage was right."

The couple have just bought their first house in Horwich and are currently in the process of changing it, to suit their tastes.

Kelly adds: "We are going to have a church ceremony because you only do it once, but it is an awful lot of money.

"We know it can be very expensive but if you are going to do it, you might as well do it right."

Daniel says: "We are going to wait for a couple of years. The house is liveable but we want to change it to suit us and save up."

"It is not about money anyway really. As long as you are happy, then that is all that matters."

The couple celebrated their engagement yesterday with a big party.