A CARLISLE couple feared their Valentine’s Day wedding would be ruined by Storm Ciara after flooding wrecked the cricket club they had booked for their reception.

But thanks to the kindness of pub landlord Aaron Thompson, 34, and his fiancée Vicky Fyfe, 41, have found an alternative venue.

Carlisle Cricket Club’s Edenside ground was inundated when the River Eden burst its banks.

The club’s pitch and its pavilion - where Vicky and Aaron were to have their reception this evening after a service at the city’s registration office - were left under more than two feet of water.

Chairman Mike Rayson immediately issued a public appeal to find the couple an alternative venue.

Their prayers were answered when Michael Grierson, form the Royal Scot pub in Morton, offered them a room there as a wedding gift.

“When I finished work on Sunday, the cricket club was starting to flood,” said mum-of-four Vicky, a care worker, from St Anne’s, Carlisle.

“I was devastated.”

Both she and Aaron praised Mr Rayson for his efforts to rescue their reception - and his appeal for help was also answered by the Creighton Rugby Club in Carlisle.

But at that point, the couple had already accepted the kind offer from the Royal Scot.

Vicky always dreamed of marrying on Valentine’s Day, as her late grandparents Alexander and Jessie Fyfe had.

“We felt sorry for Mike, but Mike Grierson saved the day,” said Vicky.

“Now I’m getting excited about our big day.”

Aaron, who works for the Castles & Coasts Housing Association, spent much of Sunday protecting properties in Carlisle from potential flooding.

He said: “When I saw what has happening on Sunday, I panicked. We were just hoping for the best.

“Mike Rayson was absolutely devastated for us.

“He came round with a bunch of flowers, a bottle of Prosecco, and a full refund. We didn’t realise he was trying to get us another venue.”

The couple have launched a Facebook fundraiser to help the cricket club as it begins the work of repairing the flooded pavilion. It is the fourth flood there since 2005.

To find Vicky’s fundraiser, log on to shorturl.at/qHPRV