A REDDITCH father challenged his future son-in-law to trek through the North Pole in exchange for his daughter’s hand in marriage.
Childhood sweethearts Hannah Bennett and Jake Thompson met seven years ago aged just 15 at school.
And in September last year Jake wanted to take their relationship one step further by proposing to his girlfriend.
“I’m quite traditional, so I wanted to ask her dad, Steve, for permission first.” he said.
“I knew he’d have something different in store for me – but I had no idea how big it would be.”
Hannah’s dad gave his blessing but on the condition Jake would join him on a 160 mile charity journey across the ice.
The 23-year-old agreed without hesitation, believing it was a great opportunity to show his girlfriend how much she meant to him.
He postponed his proposal while he began training for three months, and secretly designed Hannah’s engagement ring.
Halfway through his training he plucked up the courage to ask her to marry him on a skiing holiday where he also told Hannah the truth about why he was going to the North Pole.
“Jake has been trying to prove himself to me since we got together, but I never thought he’d go quite so far.” Hannah said.
“I was worried, but I wasn’t cross with Dad – it’s exactly the kind of thing he’d do.”
At the end of April this year, Jake and his future father-in-law set off for their mission where they faced temperatures of minus 50 degrees, dragged 100kg sledges and slept on cracking ice.
The pair returned home, raising £30,000 for charity, but not before Jake recorded a video message telling Hannah she had been worth every step.
The couple are now planning their wedding, and have been nominated for Cosmopolitan Magazine’s Ultimate Love Story award.
Mr Bennett said: “You don’t really know someone until you’ve shared a big adventure together, but now I know he fully deserves to marry my daughter. I’m delighted for them – they’re a wonderful couple.”
