14th December 2016: A local grandmother and a great aunt were among the Golden Ticket winners to receive £500 of shopping vouchers in Luton BID’s festive Golden Ticket draw.
Gill King, 63 and Chris James, 66, both from Luton, were among eight lucky local shoppers to win. £4,000 of shopping vouchers has now been awarded in total.
This is the second year that Luton Business Improvement District (BID) has run its Christmas prize draw campaign, aimed at driving more shoppers into the town centre over the busy festive period.
Luton resident Gill said the win couldn’t have come at a better time for the family and she is looking forward to treating her great nieces and nephews to some extra toys this Christmas.
She said, “I was overwhelmed when I found out I’d won as I never win anything. I had a leaflet come through the door and thought it was rubbish at first but then when I saw you could win £500 of shopping vouchers I thought I should enter, especially as I was going into town that afternoon. I posted my form into one of the special post boxes in the library and didn’t think anything more of it until I got a call from a Luton BID ambassador. I feel truly blessed as it means I can splash out a little more on presents for the family and I also have a wedding coming up too so I can buy the bride and groom something special for that as well.”
To ensure all town centre shops, venues and businesses are supported over the festive period, winners are asked to choose a national retailer and a selection of independent businesses to spend their vouchers in.
Gill added, “I will use my vouchers in Argos, the Meat-Inn and enjoy some nice meals out in La Dolce Vita and Moziah’s Caribbean restaurant too. I must say I think the Golden Ticket is a marvellous idea. I don’t like how people shop online nowadays and much prefer the social interaction you get from going into a shop. It’s great that the winnings will be put back into town centre businesses.”
The second winner Chris, also from Luton, will be following her usual Christmas tradition and inviting her daughter and two grandchildren over for Christmas dinner this year. M&S and Maxim Jewellery are among the shops she plans to spend her vouchers in.
She said, “I am absolutely chuffed. Winning this means I am going to be able to treat my family and I may even treat my husband too if he’s lucky. My grandchildren are aged five and nine so I will be buying them some extra toys which they will open when they come over for dinner. I am really excited to see their faces.”
The other lucky winners were Tara McGrattan, 30 from Bushmead and Tony Moran, a 32 year-old legal executive, William Short, 51, Christina Wilson, 21, Jake McGough, 27 and Joanna Robertson, 27, all from Luton.
For more information on Luton BID and its various events and initiatives throughout the town centre, please visit the BID website www.lutontowncentre.org or contact a member of the BID team by calling 01582 510657 or emailing info@lutonbid.org.