ONE lucky couple is celebrating winning thousands of pounds worth of prizes in the Echo’s Christmas competition.

David and Janet Chantler, who live in Ravensdale, Basildon won the ‘Win Christmas’ promotion, scooping a sleigh full of fantastic prizes which include £1,000 to spend at Eastgate Shopping Centre, £500 at Lakeside, crystal goblets and family days out.

The couple said they were in shock on hearing they won the competition, claiming “we are not competition people.”

Janet, 63, said: “When we entered you don’t think about actually winning seriously. You may fantasize about it but winning this much stuff is something of a dream. Now we have the prizes we still don’t know what to do with any of the money.”

Janet and David, 60, also won jewellery, clothes and pantomime tickets. Janet said their first reaction on finding out they had won was to sit down and have a cup of tea.

“We have been buying the Echo for the last 27 years and have never entered a competition. To suddenly hear you have won out of the blue is an incredible feeling. I want to thank all the sponsors who have made this possible.”

Janet and David, 60, have three children, aged 43, 40 and 21, and five grand-children, aged between 18 and three, so can they look forward to a bumper Christmas?

Janet said: “They will have to wait and see but it is lovely to get such a boost just before Christmas. So far we have bought some hi-tech shoes and some cinema tickets."

The couple have said they will donate the real Christmas tree they won in the competition to charity.