Bristol, Bath and the West

Pensioner wins £500 to help with winter fuel bill

John Eardley, a pensioner from Weston-super-Mare, will pick up £500 from bus operator First Somerset and Avon on Monday 22 December when he is officially named the first winner in the company's Win Your Winter Fuel Bill competition.

The competition, which has been running since the beginning of November, enables bus passengers to enter a draw to win £500 towards their gas and electricity bills, simply by collecting five return, or 10 single bus tickets. The scheme is valid for all passengers, including those travelling on concessionary passes, and customers can enter as many times as they wish to.

To date, more than 1,500 entries have been received from passengers across Somerset and North Somerset.

Justin Davies, Managing Director, First Somerset and Avon says, "I'm delighted that we have been able to help John, bringing him and his wife something of an early Christmas present. A lot of people are struggling at the moment in the face of the credit crunch, and that in conjunction with the drop in temperature we see at this time of year, means that this winter could be very harsh for some. We hope that this gift will go some way to ensuring that John and his wife have a very cosy Christmas."

John Eardley, from Milton in Weston-super-Mare, says, "I regularly use the buses getting the bus back from town, travelling to football matches and getting to and from Bristol. This promotion is great. It was really easy to enter and there wasnt even any postage to pay! The money we have won will come in really handy, like everyone else we have big gas and electricity bills, and in addition to that our cooker has just broken. Its really good timing for us, and has made our Christmas!"

The Win Your Winter Fuel Bill promotion runs until January 31. Two further winners from Somerset and North Somerset will be picked at random on 9 January (for December entries) and 6 February (for January entries). The promotion is also running in Bath and North East Somerset and Wiltshire; one winner from these areas will be chosen on 6 February 2009.

Full terms and conditions, and downloadable promotional leaflets, can be found Firsts website, www.firstgroup.com/ukbus

Promotional leaflets are also available from First Travel Shops in the region.



Notes to Editors
Open to anyone, of any age, customers simply have to collect 10 single or concessionary tickets, five return tickets or one FirstWeek / FirstTen to be in with a chance of winning. To enter the competition, which runs until 31 January 2009, you simply return your original tickets (which must have been generated for journeys beginning in Somerset, North Somerset, Bath & North East Somerset or Wiltshire) with one of the special 'Win your winter fuel bill' promotional leaflets. Leaflets are available from First travel shops or to download from www.firstgroup.com/ukbus (pick Bristol, Bath and the West from the dropdown menu).

· First Bristol, Somerset & Avon carries around 55 million passengers each year on a network of more than 100 routes. It has depots in Bristol, Bath, Taunton, Bridgwater, Yeovil and Wells. As a company, First is committed to delivering a safe, reliable and punctual service for its customers. The company operates 750 vehicles and employs 2000 people.
· FirstGroup plc is the worlds leading transport company with revenues of over £5 billion a year. It employs over 135,000 staff throughout the UK and North America and transports more than 2.5 billion passengers a year.
· The Group is Britains largest bus operator running more than one in five of all local bus services. A fleet of nearly 9,000 buses carries 3 million passengers a day in more than 40 major towns and cities.


Competition terms and conditions:

*The prize is the cost of your winter fuel bill (gas, electricity, oil) to a maximum value of £500. The winner will be given a cheque for £500. Written evidence of the value of the fuel bill is not necessary. Tickets valid for entry must be purchased between 5 November 2008 and 31 January 2009. Prize Draw will be independently drawn on 15 December 2008 (for November ticket entries), 9 January 2009 (for December ticket entries) and 6 February 2009 (for January ticket entries) for entries from Somerset and North Somerset, and on 6 February 2009 for entries from Bath and North East Somerset. Please note that tickets shall be accepted for entry up to and including 5 February 2009. Tickets must be from buses boarded in Somerset and North Somerset Bath (for the Somerset & North Somerset promotion) and Bath and North East Somerset and Wiltshire (for the Bath promotion). Prize draw is open to all UK residents who attach the correct tickets to their entry form. Photocopied entry forms will be accepted, but tickets must be original - entry forms with photocopies of tickets will be considered invalid. The number of entries is not limited. For additional application forms, please visit your local First Travel Shop or visit www.firstgroup.com. This offer is not open to First employees and the judges decision is final. No correspondence shall be made with entrants unless their names are drawn. Please note that participating in publicity related to this offer is part of the terms and conditions of entry. Winners names may be obtained by writing to Marketing Department, Freepost 3782, Bristol, BS5 0ZX. Proof of posting is not proof of receipt. For full terms of Carriage, please visit www.firstgroup.com