A WREXHAM dad-of-two had the shock of a lifetime after finding out he had won a luxury car.
Jan 2020
Gareth Walsh, 37, had taken part in the BOTB competition for just a few months before he struck lucky.
Participants in the scheme hope to be the one lucky winner chosen every week to receive a car of their choosing. In Gareth’s case, it was the a Porsche Macan worth £47,000.
On Tuesday morning BOTB presenter Christian Williams turned up at his door to deliver the good news.
But Gareth, a self employed mortgage adviser, was busy on the phone and thought the numerous knocks were from a persistent postman.
When he finally answered, he couldn’t believe it.
“I’ve never had a shock like that before,” he told the Leader afterwards.
“It was surreal, because I’ve only been playing for about two or three months and I never expected to win so soon.
“When I saw him, I knew it could only be that I had won, but I almost didn’t want to believe it until I saw it.”
Following a short walk down the road, Gareth was able to sit in a Porsche to celebrate the occasion.
He will now have the choice of having the Porsche, worth almost £50,000, or keeping just under £40,000 in cash.
The win comes as a big boost for Gareth and his wife of nine years Naomi, after a car crash ruined their family holiday to Centre Parcs just before Christmas.
He explained: “Because I had been setting up my own business over the last year, it has been manic.
“We decided to go to Centre Parcs in December with our daughters Robyn and Jessie.
“We got a hire car because our cars aren’t big enough to transport the girls and our stuff.
“About half an hour away from Centre Parcs a van went into the back of us and wrote off the car.
“It absolutely ruined the holiday. We spent a lot of time trying to get a replacement car and we couldn’t do a lot of the stuff at Centre Parcs because of our injuries, so it spoiled the occasion.
“But this is an absolutely amazing way to start the new year.”
The car will join Gareth and wife of nine years, Naomi on their next trip to Lake Bala.
“It will be a great place to take the new car for a spin, although Naomi is going nowhere near it!” Gareth added.
“I mean she’s good driver, but I’m a little better…”
The speedy Porsche is a welcome upgrade for Gareth, who currently drives an ‘old’ Vauxhall Astra.
“I’ve been a big fan of Porsches for a while, and since they released the new 911 I’ve been obsessed with them,” he said.
Since being founded in 1999 by William Hindmarch, BOTB has given away more than £30m worth of prizes.
Christian Williams, who surprises winners weekly all over the world, said he was thrilled to see Gareth’s reaction.
“The best part of this job is catching people off-guard and making their day,” said Christian.
“I’m so glad we were able to brighten Gareth’s day and bring him a great start to 2020! We hope Gareth and Naomi enjoy zipping around in their sporty new car.”
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