Retired postmaster wins car worth £40,000 to help his disabled daughter get around {{favouriteCount}}

A retired postmaster from Gloucestershire has won a new £40,000 car. The former postie had the surprise special delivery of the Volkswagen Golf GTE which he now plans to use to help his severely disabled daughter-in-law get around.

Cyril Barnes, from Newnham, on the banks of the River Severn in the Forest of Dean, won it with online competition firm BOTB . The 74-year-old said the car will come in very handy for his daughter-in-law Erica who relies on a wheelchair and finds it difficult to get out and about.

He said: “This will make such a difference to her as she loves to get out of the house, but finds it difficult and can only travel a couple of miles in a car before she needs to stop. I am quite happy with my old Tesla so I only played for this car to help my family out.”
The father-of-three received a visit from BOTB presenter Christian Williams at his home who surprised him with the news he was this week’s Dream Car Competition winner .

“I was very surprised to find Christian at my door. It was a bit of a surreal day,” Cyril added. "I have entered the competition most weeks for about two years and to have finally won is fantastic.”

Christian said: “Congratulations to Cyril on winning such an amazing car. It’s a very popular car for VW and you can see why. The inside is just as gorgeous as the outside.

“The fact he is planning to help out his daughter-in-law is such a generous thing to do and I am sure it will come in very handy for her.”

BOTB - Best of the Best - hands over the keys to a stunning dream car each week as well as a lifestyle prize. Winners have bagged Rolex watches, holidays and motorbikes in recent months. The company, listed on the stock market, was founded by William Hindmarch in 1999 and has given away more than £53m-worth of cars so far.

BOTB first opened at Heathrow Airport in 1999, with Daveeda Shaheen scooping the first prize. It clocked up its 500th winner in 2019 and many winners continue to play, convinced they have the Midas touch.

Based in Fulham, BOTB has had winners all across the globe with many different reactions, the best of which probably came from Adel Mbarki and can still be seen online at www.botb.com . The company uses former professional footballers to judge the competition independently each week, alongside current and former referees.

Back to Homepage 27 Sep 2023