Bushtucker trial for dram wedding hopefuls

Will Blackham (31) and Natalie Platts (32), from Herringthorpe, are one of six couples competing to win the £28,000 wedding as part of a Hallam FM competition.

To be crowned winners the pair have to raise the most money for the radio station’s Cash For Kids charity between February 7 and 22.

The couple have arranged several fundraisers over the next week and are urging Rotherham to back them and donate.

Will said: “We want to raise awareness and money for kids in the area, that’s the main reason we’re taking part.

“The added bonus is the chance of winning the wedding, that would be the icing on the cake.”

The couple first met when they were pupils at Wickersley Comprehensive, but Will said Natalie initially dated his brother for three years.

He said: “After they separated we didn’t see each other for about seven years, but when we met up again we got on really well.”

They have been together for six years and Will proposed five years ago, they now have a two year-old boy called Joshua.

HGV driver Will proposed at home to freight company worker Natalie with rose petals scattered on the bed.

He said they have not been able to afford to get married and to win would be “brilliant” as it could take them five years to save up for the big day.

He said: “There’s a high level of competition, I didn’t think there would be, I thought it would just be a lot of people like us, but were up against an ex-Olympian.

“We’re just a normal couple who are going to give it a go.”

Will has never organised a charity event before and said the experience was “stressful” but “exciting”.

The couple will be bag-packing and bucket collecting at Parkgate M&S on Friday, and on Saturday they will each bag pack at Asda, Dalton and Parkgate’s Matalan.

On Sunday and Tuesday they will be at Parkgate and Meadowhall, respectively, dressed as a bride and groom for another collection.

On Tuesday (17) they have also organised a children’s disco at Bramley Working Men’s Club from 6pm to 9pm, entry is £2 and £1 for children.

Their final event on Saturday 21 the couple will take part in a ‘bushtucker trial’ at the Tropical Butterfly House in North Anston where they will face their fears and handle a spider.

The winning couple will be announced on on February 23 and the wedding will take place on March 29.

To donate to the couples visit the Hallam FM website.