Pole climber scales dizzy heights of love with Great Yorkshire Show proposal

AN avid pole climber was left hanging at the Great Yorkshire Show until he agreed to say ‘I do’.

Peri Dunford, 38, waited until boyfriend Mark Jones had scaled the full height of the competition pole before getting down on one knee – in front of a cheering audience – and popping the big question.

Mark, 39, who was left dangling 25m above the ground, knew he wasn’t coming down unless he gave the answer she was looking for.

“As soon as they wouldn’t lower me down, I know something was going on,” a shocked Mark said.

“Over the last year or so, Peri has been dropping hints about getting engaged but I didn’t quite recognise them.

“I suppose she got to the point where she thought she had to do it herself.”

The couple, who are from Garstang in Lancashire, met through work, as well as a love of horses.

Mark is an arborealist and horse logger, and a member of the British Horse Loggers. Peri is also a horse logger, as well as an equine tutor at Myerscough College in Preston.

They have been together for seven-and-a-half years but hadn’t yet got around to tying the knot.

Peri joked: “I decided to propose because he was stuck up there. If he had said no, he wouldn’t have been coming down.

“I’m absolutely buzzed he said yes.”

Although Mark placed third in the competition with a time of 24 seconds, he agreed he had won the top prize at the entire Great Yorkshire Show.

“It was an easy decision to say yes,” he said. “It was always going to be yes.” Awe....