A DAD-of-five plucked up some Dutch courage to propose to his long-term partner in front of their children at a school assembly.

Cornelis Stubbe, 51, was given help in popping the question from their three oldest children at Meadowbank Primary School in Atherton.

Nina, Babette and Rachel stood up in front of all the pupils and asked their dad to make their mum a Stubbe like them.

Nelke van Hulst, 30, accepted the proposal on Friday, February 17, and the couple, who live on Kent Road in Atherton and are originally from Rotterdam in Holland, were applauded and congratulated by other parents, staff and pupils at the end of term assembly.

Carpenter Cornelis said: "It is tough for a foreigner to break into cliques when going to a different county and this was a way to show people that we are human too.

“It shows people that we have the same concerns and desires as them.

“A lot of people have come out of the woodwork congratulating us after the news.”

The couple have been together for seven-and-a-half years.

Nelke said: “It was a big surprise and I was not expecting it at all. It was great."

Jennifer Parkinson, business manager at the Formby Avenue school, said: "We had a lovely surprise during our end of term assembly.

"Our school hall was full of parents who had come to watch their children receive their assertive mentoring awards when Mr Stubbe, with the help of his children, asked his partner Nelke to marry him.

"Mr Stubbe has no other family in this country so wanted to do something to ensure his future wife would never forget the moment that he proposed."