After being nominated in our Valentines competition, two loving couples enjoyed a day of pampering. They talk to Sarah Foster.

TO coincide with Valentine's Day, The Northern Echo teamed up with Passion For Perfume to offer two romantic prizes. We asked readers to nominate deserving couples to win a range of treats, based in either Durham or Darlington. The Durham package included flowers and champagne from Waitrose, a meal for two at Thai restaurant Numjai, his and hers haircuts by Associates, a Bodyshop makeover, a hamper of fragrances from Passion For Perfume and some Thorntons chocolates. For the lucky Darlington couple, there was champagne and chocolates from Marks & Spencer, hair makeovers at the Hair Cuttery, dinner at Atlantic Bar and Grill, a Passion For Perfume hamper, flowers from Bella Violet and a Bodyshop makeover.

Linda and George Crowe, from Spennymoor, were the Durham winners. In her competition entry, their daughter Elizabeth described them as "a most loving couple who spend very little on themselves and have just had the stress of moving house". Linda says the news they had won came out of the blue. "We didn't even know Elizabeth had written in until we got the letter," she says.

A short while ago, Linda and George left farming and down-sized to a smaller home, which they found stressful. Apart from minor glitches like this, however, they've had 35 years of wedded bliss. "We met at a dance in Bowburn just before I was 19," says Linda. "It wasn't love at first sight - it was four years before we got married. I think we just quite enjoyed each other's company and it just grew."

Now along with Elizabeth, 32, the couple have another daughter Alison, 30.

Linda says being spoiled was a real treat. "It was just a lovely afternoon," she says. "Going into Durham and spending time on ourselves was something we would never have thought of doing."

FOR Darlington winners Angela and Alan Holmes, February 14 was a special date. "It was our 25th wedding anniversary," explains Angela. "It seems unusual to make 25 years these days." The couple were nominated, again unknowingly, by Alan's mother. She wrote: "Theirs is a very happy home. They have three lovely children, also a lovely rescued cat. Both work hard to put their children through university and sixth form college."

"We had no idea until the letter came," says Angela. "I rang Alan's mum and she said, 'it was me'."

The pair met at a friend's 18th birthday party in 1979. According to Angela, it was love at first sight. "I just saw him and said to my friend, 'I really like him'," she says. "We danced and that was it - we've never been parted since." Now they have three grown-up children - Christopher, 22, Ben, 19, and 17-year-old Sarah.

Angela says they were thrilled to receive their prizes. "It was lovely," she says. "As a mum who works, I'm always busy, so it was nice to be pampered. It was great to have some 'me' time."