South Wales Echo photographer Richard Swingler turned knight in shining armour to make sure a stranded bride-to-be and her true love got their fairytale ending.

Damsel in distress Margaret Martin was travelling to her Valentine’s Day medieval wedding at Castell Coch, on the outskirts of Cardiff, when disaster struck.

A tyre puncture on the white Austin Princess she was travelling in threatened to leave her stuck at the roadside in her red silk corset gown with just minutes to spare before her 1pm wedding ceremony to Andrew Pilkington.

But it was Richard to the rescue as the chivalrous Echo snapper stepped in as he was passing by to make sure she got there fashionably late.

Richard, (right), with the bride and groom

He gave Margaret, her uncle Jim Perry and wedding assistant Allen Carl a lift to the castle in his Lexus LS400.

Margaret said: “I think Richard should be very proud for rescuing a damsel in distress. The age of chivalry is certainly not dead!”

She began to panic when just a few miles into the journey the car conked out.

She said: “I knew I would get there by some means but the means came more quickly than anticipated when Richard offered us a lift. Richard was definitely my knight in shining armour.

“The whole thing really added to the day. It’s been everything I had hoped for and more. How many brides can say they were rescued on their wedding day by a press photographer?”

Richard said: “I could see a white limo and a group of people in medieval costume so I thought I’d better stop.

“They told me they had a flat tyre and they had to be at Castell Coch by 1pm but it was 12.40pm already. We bombed it down the country lanes and I got them there for 1.07pm. I was only sorry I didn’t have a horse really!

“It was quite a surreal day. A day I’m sure they’ll never to forget.”

Do you have a story about the regional press?
Ring 0116 227 3122/3121, or e-mail:
[email protected]