DESPITE only being in its second year, the Neighbourhood Weekender will always hold a special place in the hearts of Ross Dryden and Lindsey Travis.

That’s because the couple, from Great Sankey, became engaged during the inaugural festival at Victoria Park last year.

Ross popped the question on the spur of the moment without having an engagement ring shortly before the Courteeners’ headlining set on the Saturday night of the 2018 event.

Warrington Guardian:

The Mancunian indie rockers are a band that the pair have followed with the university friends they attended Neighbourhood alongside – re-uniting to watch their gigs on the May bank holiday weekend three years in a row.

Twenty-eight-year-old Ross said: “I hadn’t planned it or anything – it was a spur of the moment thing, and I didn’t have a ring.

“My missus had gone off with all the girls to watch another band on one of the other stages and me and my mates were talking about it.

“I had a bit of Dutch courage in me, and I thought ‘why not now?’.

“What better time was there to do it when all our friends were there?

Warrington Guardian:

“She was sober as well, so she had no excuse to say no.”

Ross and Lindsey, who are both police officers in the town and met through their work on the line of duty five years ago, will be back at the second festival this year.

They have welcomed a new addition to the family since last May, with Lindsey having been pregnant with their second son at the time of the proposal.

And the wedding is set to take place in Crete in September next year.

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Ross added: “All of my friends from university are all spread out across the country and a couple are in the RAF as well, so we never really get the chance to all meet up together very often.

Warrington Guardian:

Ross, Linsey and their friends at Neighbourhood 2018

“But it’s become a bit of a tradition over the past few years for us to see the Courteeners when they’ve played over that bank holiday weekend.

“Three years ago we all went to see them in Heaton Park, two years ago they played at Old Trafford cricket ground and last year they headlined the Neighbourhood Weekender.

“We’re all going back again this year, so it will be a nice thing to celebrate.

“It gives us an extra excuse to have a bit more of a celebration.”