A soldier who had to postpone his wedding because of the Kosovo crisis has finally got married.

Clacton couple Rob Kennedy and Amelia Kent were due to tie the knot in March.

However, mechanic Rob, 27, has been in Macedonia caring for some of the thousands of refugees who have fled Kosovo.

But he managed to get two weeks' leave and now he has married fiancee Amelia at Colchester Register Office.

And Rob admitted: "I was more terrified of that than of being in Macedonia!"

Amelia, who lives in the Rush Green area of Clacton, has been looking after their four-month-old daughter Jade while Rob has been serving in Macedonia. The last time Rob had seen his daughter was when she was two weeks old.

Since March he has been in Macedonia as part of the Nato force. He said: "I have been there helping put up the tents and sorting out the food for the refugee camps."

Rob told of the refugees' struggle in finding safety. "A lot of them were extremely dirty, tired and confused. At one stage there were 27,000 people in one camp. It was quite upsetting," he said.

Soldiers had to remove their rifles and helmets order to gain the refugees' trust. Rob has been helping to distribute blankets, food and clothing.

Rob will be going back to Macedonia next week and should have finished his duties there by October.

The couple held their wedding reception at Clacton Snooker Centre and hope to have their honeymoon in Venice later in the year.

Rob, who was born in Clacton, went to Clacton County High School. He spent five years in the Army before joining the Arthur Westwood store in Clacton before rejoining the Army.

Former care assistant Amelia, 23, and Rob have been together for five years and were engaged for a year.

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