A Southport couple who met at work 34 years ago were married in hospital this week.

Kevin Rimmer, 55, went down on one knee at his bedside at Southport hospital to propose to school supply teacher Helen Boothby, 51. Kevin, who works in the public sector, is being treated for an incurable cancer.

They were married five days later surrounded by family members in a ceremony made possible at short notice by Sefton registrars from Southport Register Office. Following the wedding service, Trust chaplains the Rev Martin Abrams and the Rev Jan Fraser gave a blessing.

Kevin said the couple had drifted apart after meeting at work in the 1980s but fell in love after meeting up again on Facebook three years ago.

He said: “The staff here and the whole hospital have been wonderful. It was a very happy day.”