A GAY couple from Acton celebrated an historic day on Wednesday by becoming one of the first in Ealing to tie the knot in a civil ceremony.

Jerome Farrell, 48, and Ray Batchelor, 51, of Mill Hill Road, Acton, exchanged vows at 11am in Ealing Town Hall, after being together for six years.

Wednesday marked the first day gay and lesbian couples in England and Wales could legally register their partnership under the Civil Partnerships Act, which gives them similar rights to married couples.

Outside the hall Mr Batchelor said: "I can't quite believe it is happening.

"I am very excited. It turns out it means a great deal more than I originally thought it would.

"It means suddenly there is a chance to be acknowledged."

The day had extra significance for Mr Farrell.

He told how it was the exact date of the funeral of his previous partner Steve, who died in 1995, aged 40.

He said: "The loss of a partner is indescribable but Ray and I are now fortunate to have found in each other the source of a loving relationship."

Mr Batchelor's previous partner Jeffrey also died in 1995, aged 45. They had been together for 21 years.

Mr Farrell added: "As a historian, I have always been interested in momentous occasions and can't help but feel we are playing a tiny part in making history ourselves.

"Both Ray and I were born in the 1950s and have seen vast social change in our lives.

"Gay men and lesbians are more accepted, more visible, and more integrated into life today.

"Progress towards equality has taken decades and is not yet complete, but today is a big step towards this."

Seventy couples in Ealing have so far applied to form a civil partnership, with six getting married yesterday. The very first couple to do so were David Hughes and Andrew Cobley, just a few hours earlier.

Mr Batchelor said: "Our families are very pleased about the cermony.

"When I told my mother she said: Well, it's about time'."

Four friends attended the event, and the couple plan to have a larger celebration in the summer with more friends and family.

The change in the law now means gay and lesbian couples can no longer be split up by immigration laws, they can pass on a survivor's pension and are exempt from death duties the same rights as heterosexual couples.

Cllr Jasbir Anand, Ealing Council's cabinet member for leisure, sport and culture, said: "I am delighted that same sex couples in Ealing will be able to mark their special day with a ceremony.

"The council is committed to Ealing being a borough of equal opportunities and diversity and providing the option of a civil partnership ceremony is an important example of this."

At least 1,200 marriages are confirmed as being scheduled across the UK already.

Celebrity couple Elton John and David Furnish also took advantage of the change in the law by getting married yesterday at a ceremony in Windsor.