GLASTONBURY might be over for another year, but few will look back on the festival with better memories than Worcester couple Ade Cartwright and Amanda Aitken.

The pair, who met five years ago and bonded over a shared love of Scottish rockers Frightened Rabbit, got engaged at the festival in an altogether unusual way.

As Amanda, aged 39, is not fond of wearing jewellery Ade, aged 44, asked well-known Birmingham artist Bill Drummond to create a bespoke piece of artwork to use instead of a ring.

Fundraiser and musician Dan Tastic also leant a hand, painting a steel drum with AC/AC – which will be Amanda’s married initials – in the style of the AC/DC logo.

And it kept getting bigger, as Ade roped in about 100 people along with the New York Brass Band and even the BBC’s One Show to catch the moment on film as he popped the question on Thursday, June 26. Worcester hairdressers The Clip Joint in New Street even helped out, giving Amanda a haircut before the festival so she looked her best.

Civil servant Amanda said Ade – a Glastonbury veteran who was attending the festival for the 21st time this year – had told her he had heard of a secret gig in the Shangri-La section of the site and led her into the crowd.

“He kept it a real secret,” she said.

“I kept saying it must be someone really special because so many people were there.

“All of a sudden I saw this brass band and all the people we knew and I thought ‘what are they all doing here?’, but I was still none the wiser.

“He led me into the centre of the crowd and, to be honest, I was starting to get a bit annoyed.
“The next thing I knew he got down on one knee.

“As much as I tried to speak and say yes I couldn’t so I just nodded.

“Everybody cheered and I just burst into tears.”

As well as being interviewed by Alex James for The One Show, Ade and Amanda appeared on the festival’s official radio station Worthy FM and a video of the proposal was uploaded to YouTube.

The couple, of London Road, also took an Eeyore toy belonging to Ade’s six-year-old daughter Harriett, roping in celebs including Kaiser Chiefs frontman Ricky Wilson to take selfies with the cuddly toy.

The couple are planning on tying the knot at next year’s festival with Dan Tastic – who is ordained as a humanist celebrant – doing the honours.