Neil Winstanley and Emma Foster have been chosen as the winners of the Observer's fantastic competition and will get married early next year.

Neil, 29 and Emma, 27, of Ince Green Lane, Lower Ince, were nominated by Emma's mum, Valerie, who is desperate to see her daughter get married after being diagnosed with terminal cancer.

Emma, who is expecting her first child in August, said: "It hasn't sunk in properly yet, we just can't believe we will be getting married in January. We have our house, our baby on the way and now this.

"We just really want my mum to be there when we get married and wouldn't have been able to afford to do it so soon without this competition.

"Doctors have said there is no treatment for mum so we don't know how long she is going to be around.
"She is doing really well at the moment so we just hope she carries on that way. It so important to us that she is there."

Neil, a stonemason, and Emma, a booking clerk at Wigan Infirmary, have been together for three years but were not expecting to be able to afford a wedding so soon.
Neil said: "It's all been such a surprise, we haven't even had time to get engaged yet, so we are going for the ring today. It's just all happened so fast!"

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