Kiss goodbye to the Kissing Ban

This happened while I was in Wales, but I know other M&B novelists covered it.

Remember this? Back in February, Warrington Bank Quay station put a ban on couples kissing on the platform as they said goodbye:





No Kissing sign has been unveiled at a railway station in a bid to cut delays.
The sign was placed by rail bosses at the passenger drop-off point at Warrington Bank Quay station in Warrington, Cheshire.
Virgin Rail, which runs the station, said if passengers want to share an embrace before they part company, their loved ones should pay to park their cars nearby.
A Virgin spokesman said: "We have not banned kissing in the station.
"But we have put the sign up at the drop off point because it is not a very big area and it often gets busy with lots of traffic.
"The sign is a light-hearted way of getting people to move on quickly."
He added: "If people wish to spend a little more time with their loved ones before they leave, then they should park in the short-stay car park nearby."
The no kissing zone was created at Bank Quay's drop off point ten years ago following a suggestion by the local Chamber of Commerce.
The sign was created and installed as part of a "1 million refurbishment of the station which is currently under way.








Well, romantics like Mills & Boon weren't going to stand for that.

Using Facebook to start from, they launched a Kiss Goodbye To No Kissing Campaign and many authors, and other supporters signed up for it.




'It's our right to kiss where we like' they declared -
Mills & Boon have come out in protest against Virgin's ban on public displays of affection in UK train stations.“Romantic embraces and passionate kisses are a vital part of life and should never be discouraged. We don't believe that you should restrict passion to certain times or areas. Lovers should be free to express their feelings whenever the mood takes them,” says Mills & Boon Publishing Director Sarah Ritherdon. If you're as annoyed by the breach of our fundamental right to kiss in public, please download the posters, join the twitter activists (follow Sayyestokissing) and upload photos of you kissing at stations here.Join our fight and kiss goodbye to no kissing.



And yesterday those of us who signed up to the campaign heard that the course of romance and public displays of affection started to run smoothly again when after meetings and a discussion of views, Virgin have removed the kissing zone at Warrington BQ. Couple are free to kiss where they like and romance is once more restored.



The next piece of news is that Virgin told us they'll be running some romantic activity at Warrington station on Friday to celebrate Comic Relief and have asked if Mills & Boon would like to be involved. They're thinking of doing some sort of kiss and make up.




So if you're anywhere close to Warringto station for Red Nose Day, you might want to find out what's happening. I'd love to be there but at the moment I'm booked for another radio interview - this time on Radio Lincolnshire (94.9 ) with Judy Theobald. That's at 11. 10 am.

But I'll hope to hear more about the end to the kissing ban - and the kiss and make up as it happens.