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NHS Covid nurse hopes to win dream wedding by raising money for Daisy Chain

A healthcare assistant at James Cook University Hospital has entered a competition to win a dream wedding, hosted by the Teesside-based autism charity, Daisy Chain.

Kaylee Stirling applied to take part, in the hope of winning the prize worth thousands of pounds, provided by local businesses and hosted at Hardwick Hall, for her and husband-to-be, Anthony Murray.

Kaylee looked after Covid patients during the pandemic and unfortunately contracted Covid herself in May, and tested positive for 7 weeks.

The couple have been together for ten years, and have two children, Emilee aged eight, Charlie aged four and a dog called Dougie. They got engaged two years ago on Kaylee’s 30th birthday.


Kaylee and Anthony’s original wedding plans, a small family ceremony at The Town Hall in Middlesbrough followed by a celebration at The Fosters Suite, Billingham Synthonia, afterwards, had to be halted due to the pandemic.

Kaylee said: “We chose to take part in the competition to really give us something positive to focus on. This is a fantastic opportunity to do some good for a charity after a year of pain and heartbreak for so many people, and to be in with a chance of winning a wedding like this is something we could only imagine.

“We originally had our wedding planned for October 2020, first we changed our plans so that it was just family because of the limited numbers, then unfortunately had to cancel it because of the restrictions and lockdown.

“For the fundraising we are going to do some bake sales and after Christmas I am going to set myself a fitness challenge and ask people to sponsor me, but also get the whole family involved and make it fun. We’re also going to do some raffles and bingo nights on zoom with family and friends.”

To be in with a chance of winning, entrants must raise a minimum of £500 for the charity, which will bag them a ticket in the raffle draw. Each £500 raised is worth one ticket, meaning if they raise £1,500, they will receive three entries in the draw.

Neeraj Sharma, chief executive of Daisy Chain, said: “Couples like Kaylee and Anthony are great examples of why we wanted to host this competition. Many weddings have sadly been affected by the pandemic and we wanted to offer people the chance to win a dream wedding to make up for the heartbreak.

“Applications are still open, and I would encourage anyone to enter if they have been thinking about it. There’s nothing to lose, but potentially a lot to gain, all while supporting a local charity at a time of need.”

The wedding package includes:

  • Hardwick Hall Hotel venue, catering and overnight stay with bridal breakfast provided by Ramside Estates
  • Choice of date (Monday to Friday in 2021 or Saturday/Sunday date 2022)
  • Wedding dress provided by Bridal Factory Outlet, Northallerton
  • Bridal hair package provided by BePremiere Hair
  • Groom’s suit provided by Psyche, Middlesbrough
  • Groomsmen suits provided by Psyche, Middlesbrough
  • Groomsmen grooming provided by Headquarters
  • Wedding cars provided by Classic Wedding Cars NE and Sytner Mercedes-Benz of Teesside
  • Photography provided by Matthew Wright Photography
  • Flowers provided by Sweet William Floral Design
  • Bridal nails and Fakebake tan from Cici’s Nail Bar
  • 3-month couples’ gym membership from Lifestyle Fitness

To find out more about the competition, or to enter, please visit the Daisy Chain website. The deadline for competition entries is April 30.