Most people would expect to come away from a penguin feeding experience at local attraction Folly Farm with nothing more than a smile and a faint smell of fish - but one penguin lover got more than he bargained for when his girlfriend proposed during the experience!

Chelsea Bennett and Scott Seddon, both 27, have been together for just over a year.

They met in Oldham, Manchester, where they worked as carers at a nursing home.

Chelsea and Scott became good friends, and pretty soon they started dating. After a holiday to west Wales, they fell in love with Cardigan and decided to move there together. Marriage had always been on the cards, but when the proposal was delayed by their move, Chelsea took things into her own hands.

Chelsea said: “Scott is obsessed with penguins. Every time we go into a shop selling anything penguin-related we have to go in, he even has a penguin tattoo. So, when I heard about the penguin feeding experience at Folly Farm I knew I had to take him.

“Every payday Scott would say ‘I’m going to buy you a ring this month’ but we were still getting settled in Wales and changing jobs, so he never got around to it. In the end I just decided to do it myself. I got in touch with Folly Farm to ask if it would be possible to set up a proposal during the penguin experience and they helped me plan the surprise.

“I was so nervous on the day I was shaking. Scott was having the time of his life feeding the penguins, he didn’t notice at first when I got down on one knee. I said, ‘oh Scott, will you marry me?’ and it took him a second to realise what was happening. When he did, he said yes! I can’t put into words how perfect it was. My friends and family said it was the most romantic thing they’d ever heard, they even watched the proposal online through the penguin webcam.”

When Chelsea’s sister, Nicky, heard about the proposal she got each of them a Beauty and the Beast themed ring, Chelsea’s favourite film. The rings say, ‘his beauty’ and ‘her beast’.

Scott said: “From the moment I first saw Chelsea I thought she was beautiful. I’d wanted to propose for ages, but with the move and starting new jobs we’d agreed to wait. I used to joke she should propose to me, but she always said no, and I never in a million years thought she actually would.

“Penguins have always been my favourite animal – I just think they’re so cute and I love that they mate for life. I was meant to do the experience alone, but when we got there the keepers said the booking had been made for two people by mistake. I never suspected anything – I was just thrilled to have Chelsea with me. The experience was amazing, it’s the closest I’ve ever been to real penguins, I didn’t think I could be any happier until Chelsea proposed.

“When she got down on one knee, the first thing that went through my head was ‘I can’t believe you beat me to it!’. I said yes right away, and it’s all a blur now, but I spent the rest of the day smiling, I couldn’t stop looking at the ring. We’re getting married at home in Cardigan in November and I can’t wait to call her Mrs Seddon.”

For further information on days out at Folly Farm, including zoo keeper experiences please visit www.folly-farm.co.uk search Folly Farm on Facebook www.facebook.com/FollyFarm and follow @follyfarmwales on Twitter.