“PINCH me – I just can’t believe it!” Stunned Doreen Allbutt was still reeling after finding the key that successfully opened the box to win her £5,200 of free shopping at Tescos in Coldfield Drive in the Redditch Standard’s fabulous competition.
“I can’t believe it. I enter all the competitions and I’ve never won a thing, in fact I’d started thinking there never were any winners and now I’ve won a year’s free shopping – it’s marvellous!”
The senior citizen, who was 90 last December, was one of five finalists – who had already won £100 shopping vouchers – in with a chance of scooping the big prize when the draw was made at 12 noon sharp in the entrance area of the superstore.
Compered by the man with the microphone, Paul K, the finalists, Dawn Wheate from Batchley, Sue Swinbourne from Oakenshaw, Hoanne Woodman from Winyates East, Julia Everill, also from Batchley, and Doreen herself, from Winyates Green were each invited to draw a number to decide the order they would choose a key to see if it would unlock the prize.
It was then that Doreen had an inkling that the big prize might well be hers, as her son Tony explained: “The number three has always been lucky in our family, we used to live at number three and it’s always meant good luck to us.
“She said to me ‘if I draw number three I think we might win’ and of course, she did, and she won!
“It’s brilliant for her too because we’ve had some illness in the family and although she’s 90 she’s been busy doing what she can to help out. She’s just brilliant.”
The competition was run over four weeks in the Redditch Standard with more than 5,000 individual people entering it both online and by post.
From these five winners were chosen, all of whom collected a £100 Tesco shopping voucher, with the added chance of winning the big prize of a year’s free shopping worth £5,200.
Fazana Kausar of Tesco said: “We’re thrilled for Doreen. Tesco’s is a great place to shop and to work, we really care for our customers and support them every step of the way.”
