Love was in the air when a brave groom got down on one knee to propose at the top of the Forth Bridge.
Happy couple Meghan Crawford (38) and Paul Ward (44), from Uphall, are now engaged after he surprised her with a sparkling ring at the top of the iconic bridge during a Barnardos charity event.
Meghan had treated Paul to tickets for the event on the Sunday evening, but Paul surprised her by popping the question at the charity’s Your View event last weekend.
Meghan said: “We had our first date in south Queensferry, and I thought the Forth Bridge visit would be a nice trip to do together.
When we got to the top, Paul handed his phone to a volunteer and asked them to take some photos of us admiring the view, and when I turned around, he was on one knee! There was a professional photographer who did some great photos for us and as we came back down and out of the lift, the volunteers all did a guard of honour and were clapping and cheering.
“It was absolutely lovely, and we can’t thank all the people from Barnardo’s, Network Rail, Balfour Beatty and the rest of the crew enough, as they made everything so special for us.”
To continue the celebrations that evening, Paul had the champagne waiting on ice and had booked a special dinner and stay at a hotel in south Queensferry, where their room had, of course, a perfect view of the bridge.
This is the fourth year that Network Rail, Balfour Beatty, The Briggers and Barnardo’s Scotland have joined forces to run the Your View event, and Meghan and Paul’s wedding proposal is the fourth to take place during this time.
The fundraising event gave visitors the chance to stand atop the iconic Forth Bridge and enjoy uninterrupted views of the Edinburgh and Fife coastline, raising funds for Barnardo’s Scotland.
Around 750 visitors were welcomed to the experience throughout the weekend, with more than 40 volunteers from Network Rail, Balfour Beatty, The Briggers and Barnardo’s Scotland working to run the event behind the scenes.
Martin Crewe, Director for Barnardo’s Scotland said: “We simply could not be more grateful to Network Rail, Balfour Beatty and The Briggers for all their support in making this event happen, and for the many volunteers from these organisations, Barnardo’s and others, working tirelessly behind the scenes all weekend to keep everything running.
“They helped to create such a memorable experience for members of the public, including for Meghan and Paul, and we wish this couple every happiness for the future.
“We would also like to say a huge thank you to everyone that purchased tickets to come and take part in this event – we have received some great feedback and hope that a fantastic time was had by all. The valuable funds raised will go towards Barnardo’s hardship fund, which will be providing direct support to struggling families across Scotland this winter to help with food and energy bills.”
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