Club success marks kick-off for wedding
A Shrewsbury Town fan and his partner celebrated the team's unbeaten season start with romance. Shrewsbury Town fan and his partner celebrated the team's unbeaten season start with romance. In response to the perfect start, retired policeman Maelor Owen kept a promise he had made to partner Jan before the opening of the season and whisked her off to Gretna Green so they could tie the knot at the famous blacksmith's forge. The couple are now back at their home in Sundorne Meadows, Shrewsbury, after a whirlwind week. Read the full story in today's Shropshire Star
Nine points for Shrewsbury Town from their first three games of the season has sparked a romantic spin-off for a retired Shropshire police inspector and his partner.
Keen sportsman Maelor Owen, known for many years as Shrewsbury's police liaison officer, told his partner Jan that if Shrewsbury gathered maximum points from their first league matches he would marry her.
The team duly obliged and Maelor, 57, whisked Jan, 52, off to Gretna Green earlier this week to be married at the border centre renowned for its romantic weddings.
The couple are now back at their home in Sundorne Meadows, Shrewsbury, after a whirlwind week.
They met when Maelor was an inspector with West Mercia Police and Jan, who was a police woman for 12 years, worked as a communications operator.
Maelor retired from West Mercia Police four-and-a-half years ago as a force control inspector at the Hindlip Hall headquarters.
He now works as a contracts manager for Telford College doing NVQ training for sports events stewarding.
Jan even followed him there and holds first aid courses at the college. The couple have been together for five-and-a-half years but have known each other for much longer.
Maelor said: "Shrewsbury Town came up trumps and I kept my word. It was a small ceremony in very romantic surroundings and it went very well.
"Gretna certainly is a very special spot. The only downside for me was to see the derelict Gretna football ground, the club having gone out of existence at the end of last season."
Jan said: "It was all very, very romantic. We did not tell anyone until we got back. We have got five children between us and we did not even tell them.
"They were all surprised but thought it was lovely. We will probably celebrate with the family."
By Rebecca Lawrence
