A FAMILY tradition begun by a Victorian tightrope walker was upheld at the weekend, when a bride trod a path of gold to the altar.

Alice Culine was famed for walking a rope across Bridlington Harbour twice, deliberately falling off the first time because there were not enough people watching.

But it was her walk up the aisle that was remembered yesterday, when Alice's great-granddaughter, Alexandra Culine, had the same two gold sovereigns in her shoes that her great-grandmother walked on to her wedding to a knife-thrower in 1889.

Alexandra, who married at St Andrew's Church, Spennymoor, County Durham, is the third daughter of John Culine to tread the golden path. He said: "My five sisters, nephews and nieces and all five daughters will use them."

Alexandra, 28, from Spennymoor, is descended from a long line of circus performers and can trace her family history back 500 years. Her husband, Bernard Cole, from Southampton, is descended from a fairground family.

The party was also celebrating a second match - Saturday's Southampton versus Newcastle United football game.

More than 250 of the groom's relatives arranged for a bus to pick them up at 5am from Southampton, so they could watch the Premiership clash in Newcastle