When Jamie Arthur had a manicure for her birthday, she had no idea that her newly varnished nails would be setting off an engagement ring sparkling in the lights of Summerhill Glen.

Jamie, 22, is now engaged to John Stephens, 30, who arranged his surprise proposal with the assistance of Douglas Borough Council’s electrical services team who helped him pop the question by creating a ‘Jamie, Will You Marry Me?’ sign in the glen.

Jamie said: ‘John and I had gone out for a meal and he suggested we walk back home through Summerhill Glen. The “Jamie, Will You Marry Me?” sign lit up, John was down on one knee with a ring and my family appeared all at the same time.

‘We’ve been going out for three years and had talked about getting married one day, but John’s proposal came completely out of the blue, so it was a birthday I’ll never forget.’

John said: ‘I asked Jamie to marry me because I love her…and because she’s a great cook. And we’d like to say a big thank you to the electrical services team for all their help.’

Jamie said: ‘John’s really good to me and has been brilliant in taking on my six-year-old daughter, Grace.

The couple, who also have an 18-month daughter, Amelia, first met after John sent a message on Facebook to Jamie, asking her if she wanted her grass cut, even though at the time she lived in a flat.

The story has a happy ending, though. The couple are engaged…and live in a house in Governor’s Hill where John cuts the grass.

Photo - John Stephens and Jamie Arthur in Summerhill Glen. Picture Andrew Barton.