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Joanne
Ginley and
Jaemie
Gallie
AS
declarations of love go It
couldn't have been more public.
Just the potential bride-to-be,
her suitor, a town crier and a
crowd of cheering shoppers to
wish them well. Richard Wilcock's
proposal was echoed through one
of London's busiest streets
yesterday with the help of the
Mayor of London's official town
crier.
The crowds gathered as Peter
Moore rang his bell and shouted
"Oyez, Oyez, Oyez" outside
HamJeys toy shop in Regent
Street.
Mr Wilcock, from Leeds, then got
down on one knee and offered the
engagement ring to girlfriend
Kirsty Boast, 33, as Mr Moore
called out to her to accept her
partner's proposal. And there
were cheers of delight when she
said: "Yes."
The store then presented Mr
Wilcock and his fiancee with a
teddy bear and a bottle of
champagne.
"I wanted to do something
original and I thought it would
be quite unique to get the town
crier to cry my proposal rather
than me stuttering over it," Mr
Wilcock said.
"When I first asked her out it
was at a black tie event at work.
It was nothing special but i'm
making up for that."
Mr Wilcock, 34, who lives in
Lister Walk, Morley, first met
Miss Boast four-and-a-half years
ago when he started work for
Siemens Communications, based in
Milton Keynes.
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It
was love at first sight - Miss
Boast's beauty and infectious
character attracted him straight
away. "She has the most fabulous
eyes," he said. But it was three
years before he plucked up the
courage to ask the marketing
executive to go on a date. She
agreed and Mr Wilcock whisked her
off for a surprise weekend in
Brussels.
It was not long before the two
fell in love. But as Miss Boast
lives in Bedford they have had to
travel long distances to see each
other at the weekends and
whenever they could. They have
also taken holidays together as
regularly as possible going to
far-off places like Mauritius and
Cuba. Mr Wllcock had already
selected an engagement ring ahead
of yesterday's proposal and on
Friday asked Miss Boast's father
for permission to marry his
daughter. He then whisked her
down to London. During the visit
they also visited the London
Palladium to see the musical
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Mr Moore
said: I've been town crier for
almost 30 years. I've met the
Royal Family, film stars and pop
stars. I even walked the streets
of India but I've never been
asked to ring my bell for a
Valentine's proposal. "
The role of a town crier has been
around since 1066 and Mr Moore
said: "To do it on Regent Street
is. I think, the jewel in the
crown .
"I'm delighted, of course, to do
it but it's the first and
probably the last time i'll do
this sort of thing... It's really
not what I usually do." Mr
Wilcock secured the town crier's
help for the morning with a
donation to the charity Scope,
which helps people with cerebral
palsy.
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Original: Richard Wilcock, of Morley,
Leeds, and Kirsty Boasts after he proposed
to her in front of shoppers in Regent
Street, London, yesterday helped by the
Lord Mayor's town crier, Peter
Moore.
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