Team WDP members at the Royal wedding

A CHARITY volunteer couple have been invited to attend the royal wedding.

Janis and Dave Williams, Team WDP members and volunteers at Sankey Bridges-based Warrington Disability Partnership, will be present when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle marry at Windsor Castle on Saturday, May 19.

The charity’s chief executive Dave Thompson nominated the pair, who live in Latchford, for an invite to the wedding.

Dave Williams, 60, said: “Both my wife and I volunteer for WDP and on Disability Awareness Day, and Dave Thompson is a deputy lord lieutenant of Cheshire.

“He put our name forward to the lord lieutenant of Cheshire David Briggs, who nominates so many people to attend.

“We didn’t know anything about it, but when we got the letter we were absolutely made up.

“We’re going, but it’s not just for us - it’s for everybody else who does volunteers at Warrington Disability Partnership.

“The charity isn’t about one or two people - it’s a whole team of dozens and dozens of people who do exactly what we do, and we were just fortunate to be nominated.

“I enjoy volunteering and when you see the children’s faces at Disability Awareness Day it makes it all worth it - it’s been a lot of hard work and there are hard moments, but I wouldn’t change it for anything.”

Janis and Dave - who have volunteered with WDP for the past seven years - face a dash to make it to the wedding, as they are only due to arrive back in the UK during the early hours of the same day after a holiday in Egypt.

Dave added: “We’re going on holiday and we won’t be arriving back until the early hours of the wedding.

“We land at Manchester Airport at 2.30am, and we’ve got to be down at Windsor Castle for 9am.

“It was very last minute - we only got the letter telling us we were invited to the wedding two days before going on holiday - but everything is prepared now.

“We’re getting picked up from the airport and shooting off there after showering and getting changed at home.

“It’s one of those things that you’ve got to do, because you can’t miss an opportunity like this.”

Janis, 58, added: “We were shocked when we found out.

“We’re landing back in the country and then literally going to the wedding.

“It’s going to be a great day but I think we’ll be drinking Red Bull to try and stay awake - I’ve no idea when we’ll be able to sleep.

“We’re really privileged to be able to go, and this is a wonderful charity that does wonderful things.”

Published: 17/05/2018