Last updated at 08:19, Friday, 12 March 2010

HELEN Herzberg engaged top rock band UFO to play Workington next month, by getting engaged to the band’s keyboard player.

Engaged: Workington woman Helen Herzberg with her fiance rocker Paul Raymond, keyboard player for UFO

Helen is engaged to the band’s keyboard player and wanted to return to the town where she grew up and went to school, to meet up with old friends.

UFO will perform at the town’s Carnegie Theatre on April 22 as part of a tour that also features dates in Germany, Greece and Holland. The gig is almost sold out.

Helen, 46, who went to Workington Grammar School before moving from the town in 1982, met keyboard player Paul Raymond six years ago in a casino. They plan to marry in June in America.

She explained: “The Workington show came about after I noticed one person who posted online with a West Cumbrian name. I got in touch and he was from Workington.

“His name is Mark Coles and he is friends with everyone I grew up with.

“He helped me to get back in touch with the people I hadn’t spoken to for 20 years.

“One of my friends Fiona Elliott is now working at the Carnegie and we hatched a plan to get the band up to play for a night.”

Helen added: “I was a huge fan of UFO when I was at school and I found out that Paul was playing the piano in a casino in London.

“I went along and we got speaking. He invited me to one of the band’s shows and it carried on from there.

“It was all surreal. I couldn’t believe what was happening and now we are getting married.”

Helen, who now works for trade union Unison, began touring with the band who made their name in the 1970s.

Helen said she was excited about seeing her friends again and watching her favourite band in her home town.

First published at 19:27, Thursday, 11 March 2010
Published by http://www.timesandstar.co.uk