THE Penarth Pavilion Project appealed for local residents to come forward with their pavilion memories and they have received a great response - including from one couple who got engaged there!

Peter and Annamaria Woodford got engaged in the pavilion in 1964.

Peter, now 70, is originally from Cogan but he and Annamaria were both living in London, after he moved there as a member of The Household Cavalry. They met in a coffee house in Knightsbridge.

"I would ride a shire horse and stop at a coffee bar," he explained.

"I saw her one day and thought she was pretty - well she still is - and that's how we met."

After courting for a year, they visited Penarth to see Peter's parents - and during a trip to the pavilion, he asked Annamaria to marry him.

"I chose to do it at the pavilion as it's so iconic," he said.

"I didn't get down on one knee. I simply said 'would you marry me' - I was young and handsome and with hair back then, so she said yes!"

The couple were married in All Saints Church, Penarth in 1965 and moved to the town in 1970.

The Penarth Arts and Crafts Ltd (PACL)-run project launched the social history research initiative earlier this year, aiming to create an archive of material telling the story of the building from the heart of its community.

Researcher Ruth Collins is leading the exploration and has been inundated with memories - but she hopes more people will come forward for interviews, and donate newspaper cuttings and visual materials from the past.

To contribute, drop in to the Penarth Pavilion Centre opposite the pier, below Windsor Court, or call 029 2071 2100 or email: info@penarthpavilion.co.uk More memories can be read on ruth-collins.tumblr.com