PENISTONE councillor Brenda Hinchliff has just had a real blast from the past.

She has been reminded of when she was left holding the baby - literally.

And she couldn't be more delighted.

Out of the blue, she has received a letter and photographs from a German couple she helped out in a very unusual way many years ago.

Stefan and Carina Rosenkranz never forgot how Coun Hinchliff came to their rescue on their wedding day in Barnsley Town Hall.

They were stuck what to do when the registrar said that under the rules, they could not exchange vows while holding their baby son, Matti.

And neither could their witnesses David and Margaret Barnes of Billingley who launched a frantic search for a baby-sitter in the town hall corridors.

As it happened, Coun Hinchliff was just leaving a meeting and she was asked if she could save the day.

She was only too pleased to help and the ceremony went ahead.

That was in 1998 and now, as Stefan and Carina celebrate their 20th anniversary, they have remembered the stranger who showed such kindness.

After visiting their former neighbours the Barnes in Billingley, they wrote to Coun Hinchliff via Penistone town council office to say thanks again for the favour.

"I can't tell you how astonished I was," said Coun Hinchliff. "I am so thrilled to hear from Stefan and Carina again."

In their letter, the couple explain how they left the UK in 2001 and moved back to Germany,

"It always feels like coming home when we visit the UK," says the letter to Coun Hinchliff, adding: "We hope the years have been good for you and your family."

They included a cutting of the original Chronicle story about the unusual wedding and a photo of them as they are now with Matti.

In a reply, Coun Hinchliff tells them she has often wondered how life has treated them as a family.

"It was a happy occasion in 1998 and I have never forgotten how lucky I was to be there," she writes.

"It was an honour to help Matti, who was so happy and content."

This week Coun Hinchliff said she was told at the time that Matti was an awkward little boy.

"But I have always been good with children and he was so good," she said. "He just smiled at me."