Bristol, Bath and the West

Pensioners receive recession-busting £500 from First

Three more winners have been named by First in companys Win Your Winter Fuel Bill competition.

Audrey Brown from Corsham was one of the lucky winners to pick up £500 from First Somerset and Avon.

Mrs Brown, aged 76, is a regular bus user, most frequently using Service 231 to travel into Bath and Service 14 to go to the Royal United Hospital in Bath where she works several days a week as a volunteer.

The scheme, which ran between November and January, encouraged 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.

Mrs Brown said, "Since I got my travel pass I've used the bus more and more. Im not normally one for competitions but this was so easy to enter I thought Id give it a try and just kept collecting the tickets. It's a fantastic amount of money to win, I'm absolutely delighted."

Also winning £500 was Angela Birch, a pensioner from Watchet. Mrs Birch, aged 73, and her husband Charles, 79, are regular bus users. They have a car but hardly use it, preferring to use the bus instead.

Mrs Birch, of Risdon Road, says, "We are absolutely delighted to have won. Like everyone else, we have large fuel bills to pay at this time of year so winning the competition was a wonderful surprise. We use the bus all the time, to go to Minehead or Taunton for shopping or appointments, or to Wells to see our daughter. We have a car but we hardly use it, in fact we plan to give it up completely soon and just use the bus instead."

Alan Debenham from Taunton was also a winner when he was picked to receive £500.

Alan, aged 68, a former Taunton Deane borough councillor, teacher and local government officer, is an active member of many local organisations and uses the bus to get to meetings in Bridgwater and further afield.

Alan, who lives in Clifford Avenue, said, "Since I got my travel pass I've used the bus more and more. The competition was really easy to enter - I just kept collecting tickets.

"I've never won anything in my life before, I was absolutely delighted when I heard I had been picked the winner. Like a lot of people Ive had big fuel bills to pay and this money is an absolute lifeline."

Justin Davies, Managing Director, First Somerset and Avon said, "More than 5,000 people entered our competition to win back the cost of their winter fuel bill. Its been incredibly popular - possibly a reflection of the harder times we are now living in - and over the lifespan of the competition, four people from the region have walked away with £500 to help them offset the costs of winter.

"We have been delighted to be able to brighten up these cold winter months for our winners.'


The Win your Winter Fuel Bill competition closed on January 31.
Full terms and conditions can be found on First's website, www.firstgroup.com.