Sweethearts Nicki Morris and Steve Bourne are planning to tie the knot next month - thanks to the Telegraph & Argus.

The pair met after Nicki answered Steve's lonely hearts advert in the T&A six years ago, where he described himself as a tall, long haired rocker.

Nicki, who had moved to Bradford from the Lake District to work as a nurse at the Bradford Royal Infirmary, was scanning the small ads in a bid to get to know more people in the city.

Steve's advert jumped out at her straight away.

"It said 'Tall, long-haired 25-year-old male, into rock music, walking and the quieter side of life'," she said.

"I was interested straight away in the tall, long haired bit. I thought 'Ooh, why not'. Not being from Bradford, most people I knew were connected with work - I was having trouble meeting different people.

"I wrote to him and sent him a picture. His picture came back and it was absolutely gorgeous."

For their first date, Nicki arranged to pick Steve up at his then-home - a narrow boat moored on the canal at Apperley Bridge - and they went for a walk at Shipley Glen.

"After that we seemed to hit it off," Nicki said.

"When I replied to the advert, I didn't expect to find a relationship from it - I was just hoping to meet new friends.

"I didn't think I'd end up marrying him. I'd definitely recommend it to other people."

Steve, now 30 and working at Denholme Velvets, recalled: "At the time I put the advert in the T&A, I was living on the boat and didn't have much money. I couldn't afford to go out and didn't have much of a social life.

"The best thing about her was she had actually replied - she was the only one who did. She looked really nice in the photograph.

"We got on really well and we have never had an argument. I proposed to her on the cliff top at Whitby a year to the day after we met."

The couple, who share a home at Denholme, will tie the knot at the Langdale Chase Hotel in the Lake District on May 24 and plan a honeymoon in the USA.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.