Just the ticket!
ACOUPLE from Southport have been named the most romantic in Merseyside – and it all started with a Facebook friend request.
Barry Rawsthorne and Sarah Bond first started dating when they were 18, but after four years, they went their separate ways.
However, the pair reconnected with the click of a button in 2014, after Barry found Sarah on Facebook.
Sarah, 39, a civil servant, said: “When I received the friend request from Barry, it felt like a real blast from the past.
“We hit it off right from the start and I felt like I was getting to know an old friend all over again.”
They rekindled their love with a date at a Southport bar in 2014, and moved in together last December, to enjoy their first Christmas together.
Royal Mail worker Barry, 43, said: “I always felt that Sarah and I would somehow reconnect, whether that was as friends or more. Either way, I wouldn’t change it for the world and I’m so glad that I took a chance and sent that friend request.”
Sarah, who describes herself as a romantic, entered them into an Arriva competition to find Merseyside’s most loved-up couple, winning after Sarah revealed Barry’s romantic ways.
For their prize they were welcomed on board an Arriva Love Bus on Valentine’s Day, complete with a champagne reception, mood lighting and rose petallined aisles.
After a journey through Liverpool, the pair were taken to the New York inspired restaurant, Neighbourhood, for a a three- course dinner and cocktails.
Sarah added: “Our date night on board the Love Bus was an amazing experience and a Valentine’s Day and anniversary that we will cherish forever.
“I really never thought that I’d have the chance to say that I’ve enjoyed a champagne reception on an exclusive bus journey.”