A LOVED-UP couple have won a dream wedding thanks to The Chronicle.

Jason Hocking and fianceé Beverley spotted the story about a chance to bid for a fairy tale wedding at Peckforton Castle in The Chronicle – and jumped at the chance!

The popular wedding venue auctioned off a wedding day – for more than half the price – on the online website eBay.

The auction, which lasted 10 days, received thousands of hits from around the world.

But Jason and Beverley from The Rock, Helsby, beat nine other bidders to secure their big day on July 24 this year, and for just £5,950, have bagged themselves a lavish castle wedding for 60 guests.

Engaged for more than three years and having become new parents to Finnigan, now two, in the midst of the recession, the couple weren’t counting on getting married any time soon.

But when they read about the fantastic opportunity, they knew they didn’t want to miss out.

“We’ve had meals at Peckforton Castle in the past and it’s a spectacular place,” said Jason, 40, who works for a chemical company in Runcorn.

“It was like a game of cat and mouse waiting to see if we had won; I kept having to stop myself checking eBay every minute! When we found out we had the winning bid, we celebrated by feeding the ducks and having an ice cream down on the River Dee. We cracked the champagne open later though!”

Now Jason and Beverley, 43, a local dog walker, are frantically trying to arrange their big day in just 12 weeks, but said staff at Peckforton Castle have been extremely helpful.

“Everyone has been fantastic,” said Jason. “We’ve been assigned a wedding coordinator who takes our ideas on board and gives us a helping hand.

“It’s only 12 weeks away so we’ve been running around like crazy!”

After their wedding, the couple will spend their honeymoon in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt.

Chris Naylor, managing director of Peckforton Castle, added: “The final few days were very exciting and the bidding war in the last few minutes had us on the edge of our seats.

“We are now looking forward to hosting the couple and making their day really special.”