School saves the day for bride

A TEACHER who feared she would have to cancel her wedding after her husband-to-be was made redundant has walked down the aisle thanks to the help of her school.

Colleagues offered to host 26-year-old Emma Pritchard’s big day after her partner, Dan Partridge, and her father both lost their jobs just before Christmas.

A marquee was put up in the playground of the primary school in the village of Ashton-under-Hill, Worcestershire, and staff and residents helped out with the catering.

One of the classrooms was turned into a bar and guests danced the night away at a disco in the school hall.

Generous colleagues even helped towards the couple’s honeymoon by donating their Tesco Clubcard points, which paid for a few nights in a London hotel.

Bryony Baynes, head teacher at Ashton-under-Hill First School, said: “They were going to have the traditional big wedding in a posh hotel and everyone at school had been invited.

“Then Dan was made redundant along with Emma’s dad. Emma was very upset and said she thought she would have to cancel the wedding and put it on hold because they couldn’t afford it.

“I said ‘why cancel it, we’ll do it for you’.”

The wedding took place on Saturday.

Pritchard told the BBC: “The children made me cry. I see them everyday but to see them do this was lovely.”