Key workers win dream wedding at Shropshire farm venue in competition

Eddie Logan nominated himself and his partner Nicola Thomas, who he proposed to last month, in Stanford Farm's Win a Three Day Wedding competition, without telling her.

Eddie, 40, and Nicola, 41, live in Swansea but had previously looked at Stanford Farm, near Halfway House outside of Shrewsbury, as a venue before they saw owner Cindy Edwards was hosting a competition.

Cindy hosted the competition to celebrate the end of lockdown and offer a three day wedding in 2022 to a couple who had been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Eddie works in the prison service and Nicola works as a teacher down in Swansea, and they have both been working tirelessly throughout the pandemic in their respective careers.

Nicola caught coronavirus and is still suffering with long Covid symptoms, but Eddie said she was inspiring as she continued to help the children she worked with, even from home.

When Eddie nominated Nicola, he said he wanted her to have the perfect wedding day where they could celebrate with their family and look forward to the future.

The competition was the idea of owner Cindy Edwards who was pleased to have come through lockdown relatively unscathed.

But she realised that not everyone was that lucky during lockdown; she felt she wanted to give something back by offering one lucky couple a free wedding venue.

Eddie and Nicola, whose names were picked out of a hat on the farm’s open day, were so thrilled to have won. “We jumped up and down screaming, and people were wondering what was wrong," Nicola said.

The couple were at the beach in Swansea when they saw the winners selected on a live stream and jumped with joy when they heard their names.

The pair have eight children between them who were in the sea at the time – Nicola said she and Eddie waded in and they were all screaming and shouting with happiness.

In Eddie’s entry to the competition, he said: "Even after my partner caught Covid she still battled on to go back to work in the pandemic, she is an amazing woman and an absolute rock.

"Working for the prison service can be stressful so when we had this pandemic it was even harder especially not being able to see my children for weeks on end. And now all we want is to have a perfect day with family and to celebrate our future together.

"My fiancee has worked tirelessly with disadvantaged kids all throughout the pandemic, she was incredibly ill but still worked from home to make sure they were protected and provided for. She is the most selfless person I've ever met.

"People like her never get recognised for the day to day heroes they are, the sleepless nights she worries about a particular child or some strategy she is dreaming up to help them and their families. I want to show her how much she means to so many."

Cindy Edwards received 175 entries, which were narrowed down to 30 couples, and then 10.

"It has been so difficult to choose the finalists," she said. "We would read the entries with tears in our eyes. So many people have lost loved ones, worked for the NHS and other key services, had Covid, experienced job loss or separation from their partners.

"But also there are so many beautiful love stories where their love and resilience has shone through."

On if Stanford Farm was right for them, Eddie said: “We have looked at Stanford so many times. I want my girl to have more than a registry office and a pub garden. She deserves the world and Stanford is her type of place.

"It's the perfect place to bring our families together."

Nicola added: "We have known we won for a little while, but we still look at each other thinking how did this happen to us.

"It's funny because before I met Eddie I went to a wedding fair with my friend and you were automatically entered into a competition to win a wedding, and I won.

"To win two weddings in my lifetime, I think the universe is telling me something."

Visit stanfordfarm.co.uk to find out more about the farm.