A couple who have just purchased the showhome at Waverley Grange in the South Gloucestershire village of Rangeworthy will never forget the day they were handed the keys.

No sooner had Beccy Eacott (27) and Mike Hicks (31) entered their new home than Mike went down on one knee, produced a ring and proposed marriage.

‘There were tears of joy all round,’ says Annie King Sharp, on-site sales consultant with Cotswold Homes Ltd which designed and built the new exclusively private development of four four-bedroom, two-bathroom detached family homes on the edge of the village.

Annie, who was in on Mike’s secret plan, spoiled the couple with champagne, flowers and chocolates to help them celebrate. Mike, who runs the Country Cars dealership and is a team manager with Rangeworthy Football Club, became aware of plans for Waverley Grange earlier this year when Cotswold Homes pitched in with new insulated subs suits for use by club players during winter training sessions.

He and Beccy – a mortgage services consultant with estate agent Connells – liked the idea of a location combining the attractions of country living with the modern comforts and economies of a contemporary state-of-the-art home.

‘We looked elsewhere but nothing else touched this position and the quality of the property was such good value for money,’ said Mike.

Beccy added: ‘Cotswold Homes builds lovely houses finished to a very high standard. The sales team made the buying process so smooth that our decision was an easy one. The fact that our house has a utility room to accommodate our two dogs and, being the former showhome, came with fitted carpets and curtains clinched it.’

Pictured (left) is Annie King Sharp of Cotswold Homes who presented Beccy Eacott and Mike Hicks with champagne and a bouquet to celebrate their engagement at Waverley Grange.