A KILWINNING woman is cleaning up in the love stakes after signing up for a litter pick on Irvine beach - and picking up a fiancé.

Tracey Beresford, 53 volunteered for the Coastwatch Beach Clean Up event last year and amongst all the rubbish, met the man of her dreams, Rick Dunlop.

Tracey and Rick, 48, were perfect strangers when they both arrived on Irvine Beach for the clean up on May 30 last year.

But by the end of the day the pair had swapped phone numbers and a romance was born.

Now, one year on the pair are living together and planning their wedding for May 30th next year - exactly two years to the day they first met.

Tracey said: “When Rick and I both went along to the Irvine Beach Clean Up last year we had never met before.

“We were on the same clean up team and ended up having a great day together.

“At the end of the day, Rick handed me his phone number and that was it. We’ve been together ever since.”

It wasn’t long before Rick, a former carer and Tracey, also a carer, had moved in to Tracey’s Kilwinning home together.

But on February 29 this year Tracey ‘leaped’ at the opportunity to propose to her man.

She said: “Because it was a Leap Year I decided I wanted to propose so I made a video for him and posted it to Facebook and he said yes. I was delighted.”

The couple plan to marry on Lamlash beach in Arran on May 30 next year – exactly two years after they first met.

Tracey said: “We originally wanted to get married on Irvine Beach.

“But we couldn’t do that so we decided on Lamlash instead so we can recreate the atmosphere of that day on the beach when we first met.

“Arran is beautiful place and Rick particularly loves it there.

“It’s just a small wedding but our family and all of our beach Clean Up friends will be there to help us celebrate.”