Developers of Out4Marriage’s Lobby A Lord website announce their engagement

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Two campaigners who helped create Out4Marriage’s Lobby A Lord website have announced their engagement.

Christopher Ward and Joshua Gladwin met at a friend’s birthday party in London in February 2012. They’ve been living together in Oval, south London, for over a year.

The couple got engaged on Saturday 3 August on the banks of the River Wey in Guildford.

At last month’s Downing Street annual LGBT reception, Prime Minister David Cameron publicly thanked Mr Ward in a speech to celebrate the signing into law of same-sex marriage in England and Wales.

The Prime Minister said: “I want to thank the Out4Marriage campaign – Mike, James-J, and Benjamin [PinkNews publisher Benjamin Cohen], you did a brilliant job. I want to thank Chris from Lobby A Lord; the lord lobbying was very effective.”

Mr Ward said to PinkNews.co.uk: “Although we developed Lobby A Lord to help couples everywhere who’ve been waiting for this change a lot longer than we have, it’s nice to be able to benefit too.”

PinkNews publisher Benjamin Cohen, who also founded the Out4Marriage campaign, said: “I am so pleased that two of the people who worked so hard to secure equal marriage will be some of the first to benefit from this historic change in the law.”

On Monday afternoon former Conservative minister and Tory party chairman John Gummer (Lord Deben) tweeted his congratulations to PinkNews: “Congratulations and every happiness,” he said.

Gay Conservative MP Mike Freer told PinkNews: “It is fantastic to hear of the engagement of Joshua and Christopher. For two people who worked so hard, behind the scenes, for equal marriage to be one of the first  to get married is a lovely testament to their commitment to each other and to equal marriage.”

Peter Tatchell said: “Joshua and Christopher, congratulations on your engagement. Best wishes for your happy day. I’d like to pass on a huge thanks for your work on Equal Marriage, and in particular for LobbyALord.”

The Lobby A Lords website was launched in May in order to bolster support for the same-sex marriage bill as it travelled through the Upper Chamber of Parliament.