It may not sound the most romantic of dates, but when Karen Worker’s boyfriend suggested a trip to the dogs she was happy to make a night of it. But the 34-year-old teacher was stunned when she checked the 9pm race.

There, in black and white on the race card for all the punters to see, was the name of the race sponsor: “Karen Worker, will you marry me? Love Gray”.

Karen and Graham, from Scarborough in North Yorkshire, have been together for four years and have 18-month-old twins, and had been spending a romantic weekend in Newcastle.

The night got off to a glamorous start - when a stretch limousine arrived to take the couple from their hotel to the dog track.

Once she got over her shock, Karen didn’t have much time to think about her answer - Graham had to rush off to collect his winnings from a previous race.