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Thomson Airways Boeing 787 Dreamliners named after Ramsgate couple

00:00, 16 February 2016

updated: 11:18, 16 February 2016

The sky’s the limit for one loved-up Ramsgate couple.

Hayley and Chris Patmore won an extra special Valentine gift after a nationwide search to find the most romantic tale – the chance to have two Boeing 787 Dreamliners named after them.

Thomson Airways ran the competition to name its eighth and ninth Dreamliners and the Mr Patmore and Mrs Patmore planes will now join the fleet.

Hayley and Chris Patmore, who are from Ramsgate, were married in Cyprus
Hayley and Chris Patmore, who are from Ramsgate, were married in Cyprus

The couple’s love story started 22 years ago when they met while on holiday with their families in Great Yarmouth when they were both just 13 years old.

The pair kept their teenage romance alive by writing to one another, but lost contact after a year.

However, sparks flew three years later when they were reunited in the same place.

A young Hayley and Chris Patmore who met when they were on holiday aged 13
A young Hayley and Chris Patmore who met when they were on holiday aged 13

Years into their relationship, Mrs Patmore viewed an old holiday video of herself as a three-year-old swinging on a swing and noticed that the little boy on the swing next to her was her future husband – but they weren’t to meet again for another 10 years.

Mrs Patmore, 35, said: “We are over the moon to have been chosen as the winners.

“We are all so excited to have our family name on the Dreamliner. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime prize.

A mock image of what the planes will look like after Hayley and Chris Patmore's names are added to the aircraft
A mock image of what the planes will look like after Hayley and Chris Patmore's names are added to the aircraft

“We will use our prize to take our children on holiday for our wedding anniversary. Maybe beautiful Cyprus, where we married in 2010.

“Who would have thought our love story would have started on a holiday when we were just children ourselves.”

The couple shared their story with the airline on Facebook and, along with having planes named after them, won a £1,000 holiday voucher.

Thomson Airways managing director John Murphy said: “Receiving delivery of two of these aircraft offered us a unique opportunity to name them as a pair, an opportunity which we gave back to our customers.

“Mr and Mrs Patmore’s story captured our attention.

“We look forward to taking the newly-named aircraft to the skies.”

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