THE widower of Gwen Mayor, the heroic teacher who grew up in Great Harwood and died in the Dunblane massacre, is to marry her sister.

Rod Mayor, who lives near Stirling, said he and his bride-to-be Joan Bedford were "very pleased".

Mr Mayor, 54, refused to reveal when and where the couple will marry, saying only: "Obviously we are pleased, but we really have nothing to say. It is a difficult time of year for all of us."

His parents, Thomas and Frances Mayor, of Green Street, Great Harwood, were also remaining silent.

Mr Mayor said today: "We have no comment to make at all."

Rod and Gwen were married at the Central Methodist Church, in Great Harwood.

Minister, the Rev Elizabeth Hodgkiss, said she did not know if Mr Mayor and his bride-to-be planned to marry in Great Harwood.

She said: "You would have to ask them. I don't talk about families." Gwen, 44, died as she tried to save the lives of the children in her care when gunman Thomas Hamilton burst into the gymnasium at Dunblane Primary School on March 13, 1996. Sixteen youngsters died in the tragedy with her.

The wedding, which is expected to take place after the second anniversary of the atrocity, will be the second in the family since Gwen Mayor died. Last May the couple's eldest daughter Esther, 22, married her boyfriend in an emotional ceremony near Dunblane.

Mrs Bedford, 48, who has three children, Anna 18, Daniel 16, and Ellie 10, from a previous marriage, sold her home in Mellor, Cheshire, last year to move to Scotland to be with Mr Mayor.

Their love is said to have been born out of their shared grief for Gwen, who was posthumously awarded the Queen's Commendation for Bravery.

A friend of the couple told a national newspaper today: "Everyone is thrilled for them. Their love is a fitting tribute to Gwen. Everyone who knew her well will know she'd want life - and particularly their lives - to go on.

"Joan helped Rod to get over the death of Gwen. They were there for each other."

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