A Colne Valley couple have celebrated after converting their civil partnership into a marriage.

Gayle Haran and Phil (Felicity) Greenham from West Slaithwaite were the first same sex pair to say “I will” in Manchester after a landmark change in the law to allow those in civil partnerships to upgrade to marriage.

Civil partners since September 2008, Calderdale Council social worker Gayle and Locala children’s service team leader Phil had been waiting more than six years for the day.

The couple married at the Albert Square registry office at Heron House in Manchester where their first ceremony took place. The couple renewed their vows alongside two male friends who also upgraded to a marriage.

Gayle, 46, who used to live with Phil, 62, in Manchester until they moved to the Colne Valley, said: “It was a fantastic day which we chose to celebrate as just a foursome because we had a massive event for our civil partnership.

“Manchester is very LGBT friendly and the service we got was bang on.”

It was the symbolic nature of being able to marry that made the day all the more deeply meaningful.

Gayle said: “It wasn’t particularly important that we were the first to upgrade – it was important to us in terms of gay rights and addressing inequality over the years.

“It was also about being recognised as being just like heterosexual couples in the eyes of everyone and, especially, our families.

“Discrimination has been happening to same sex couples like us because some people didn’t see same sex civil partnerships as being normal.”

While same sex marriage was legalised in England for couples not already in partnerships in March, those who were had to wait nine months until December 10 due to the process taken to update the Marriage Act 2013.

Gayle said: “We weren’t disappointed that it took a while for those in civil partnerships to upgrade to marriage, it came into being when it did.

“But it is a shame that it has taken so long to legalise same sex marriage and to advance gay rights in other ways such as the pardoning of scientist Alan Turing which only took place in 2013.

“But what we are pleased by the reception of people in both Calderdale and Kirklees.

“When we moved from a very diverse community in Manchester we weren’t sure of the response we would get.

“But we have been blown away by the people here whose attitude has just been phenomenal.”