Couple get engaged under the Angel of the North, 380 miles from their Dorset home

A Dorset couple have gotten engaged under one of the North East’s most iconic landmarks.
By Ryan Smith
Published 16th Aug 2023, 16:03 BST
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Paul Carton, 58, and Tara Jenkins, 46, had travelled from Dorset to the North East to visit Paul’s parents, who live in Skelton-in-Cleveland.

Following a day out in Durham on Tuesday, August 8, the couple visited the Angel of the North where Paul popped the question and asked for Tara’s hand in marriage.

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Paul told NewcastleWorld that he was looking for a special place to ask Tara to marry him after they had been together for seven years.

Paul Carton and Tara Jenkins got engaged under the Angel of the North, 380 miles from their Dorset home. Photo: Paul Carton.Paul Carton and Tara Jenkins got engaged under the Angel of the North, 380 miles from their Dorset home. Photo: Paul Carton.
Paul Carton and Tara Jenkins got engaged under the Angel of the North, 380 miles from their Dorset home. Photo: Paul Carton.

He said: “Given that we’ve been together for quite a while, people have been asking us when we are going to get married, so I had been trying to think of a special place to do it.

“We were up visiting my parents and had been for a day out in Durham, plus as it was the 8th day of the 8th month, I decided it was a lucky day and said we would visit the Angel of the North.

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“We have been before and it is a great monument, it makes the North feel like the North so I decided to do it there.

“I asked a bystander if he would take a photo of us and as he was doing so, I got down on one knee and asked the question.

“There was a coach party there at the time and people were congratulating us, it is certainly something that we won’t forget.

The couple had been in the North East visiting Paul’s parents. Photo: Paul Carton.The couple had been in the North East visiting Paul’s parents. Photo: Paul Carton.
The couple had been in the North East visiting Paul’s parents. Photo: Paul Carton.

“Tara is my Angel of the South and we got engaged at the Angel of the North, it just felt that the time was right.”

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The couple haven’t started wedding planning yet but have received hundreds of messages of congratulations since getting engaged just over a week ago.

Paul added: “It is a bit early for us to start planning things at the moment but I’m sure that will come along soon enough.

Tara’s engagement ring. Photo: Paul Carton.Tara’s engagement ring. Photo: Paul Carton.
Tara’s engagement ring. Photo: Paul Carton.

“We’ve had loads of messages to congratulate us on getting engaged, I think Tara had more than 300 within an hour of posting it on Facebook last week - everyone is just really pleased for us.

“I didn’t get the name of the man who took the photos but I can’t thank him enough, we have some great images from the day.”

Related topics:North EastDurhamNewcastleWorldDorsetParents