People across Wiltshire visit Westbury’s White Horse every day for dog walking, paragliding, picnics and scenic walks, but at sunset on 5th April the iconic Wiltshire landmark was the scene for a special question Mathew Pritchard had for his girlfriend Kelly Bishop.
Kelly thought she was going to the cinema in Trowbridge but her partner Mathew had other ideas – taking a detour on route to the cinema to the White Horse to pop the question.
Kelly said, “We’d organised a babysitter because we were going to the cinema to see Beauty and the Beast, but when Mathew turned towards the White Horse and not Trowbridge, I was very confused! He said he wanted to show me something on the hill, so I went with it. When we arrived and got out of the car, there were fairy lights and candles everywhere; at that point I had a good idea what was going to happen! Mathew got down on one knee and asked me to marry him and I said yes! Mathew’s friend appeared with a camera and took a few pictures of us and we had a glass of champagne.
“Mathew was very calm, cool and collected. He’d already asked my dad at Christmas and organised my engagement ring, which was my great-aunt’s ring.
“We met on a military exercise in Canada in 2014; Mathew is a solider in the 1st Battalion of the Yorkshire Regiment and I’m an army medic. We’ve lived in Westbury for a couple of years and we love it – everyone is so welcoming and friendly.
“Mathew proposing on the White Horse was perfect – we love walking our dog there and when I was in labour with our daughter Constance, before we went to the hospital, we went up there to have a walk around and get things moving along! It has a special meaning to us and even more so now.”
