PROPOSING TO YOUR girlfriend is always a nerve-racking thing to do. 32-year old Tim Lane from Gloucestershire took an unusual approach when taking the big step, by getting down on bended knee on the front page of his regional daily.

Considering he and girlfriend Nikki Joneshas buy the Gloucestershire Echo newspaper together every Saturday, Lane was sure it would grab her attention.

Much to Tim’s delight, the gamble of a very public humiliation paid off when the shocked bride-to-be immediately said yes.

The couple met almost 13 years ago in a nightclub and have two kids together. In an interview with the newspaper, Tim said:

It was definitely love at first sight – for me anyway. We were both very young when we met. I remember I had told a friend I was looking for a girl with brown bobbed hair, good nails and great shoes. As soon as I saw Nikki I noticed she had all three and we just hit it off from there.

Tim was contemplating a number of imaginative ways to propose, including writing ‘Will you marry me?’ in a field and flying Nikki over it in a hot air balloon. The newspaper proved to be a more permanent solution.

I want to get the front page of the Echo laminated so we can keep it to look back on. “I couldn’t have asked for a better present.