Catherine Alderson “wanted to be a part of it” when she commented on our social media post and scooped herself a surprise holiday to New York.

Earlier this year, we ran a competition which included prizes for holidays to Ibiza, the French Alps, Turkey and of course, New York. We asked our followers on Facebook and Instagram which instant win holiday they would choose and Catherine said she’d love to win a holiday to the city that never sleeps.

“I just loved it so much the last time I went. I love the busyness – I love London for that reason, I do like cities,” said the 52-year-old, who’s lived in Penrith all her life.

“It took a bit to sink in”

In a surprise Facebook live on 7th January, the team at Lake District Giveaways entered everybody who’d commented on that post into a free competition as a thank you for engaging with our content. 

Catherine, who works at Penrith hospital, ignored the two phone calls from us, not recognising the number, but then received a call from family, telling her she was the winner. Before she knew it, Catherine was jumping around the living room, shouting “I’m going to New York!”

“It was really exciting, it took a bit to sink in,” Catherine said. “I couldn’t believe it, all through a comment! It’s amazing.”

“It meant an awful lot”

Catherine, who’s married to Paul, said family and friends have told her how “jammy” she is, admitting herself how lucky she feels to have won.

“It meant an awful lot because we’ve not had a holiday for two years and it felt special to be able to go just me and Paul – we’ve never been just the two of us – and it was lovely for me and him to go and have a nice time together,” said Catherine, who entered more competitions with us afterwards, hoping she’d win spending money for the trip.

The couple, who have been married for 15 years, went for four nights over the Easter weekend, flying from Manchester to John F. Kennedy International Airport and staying at the Doubletree Hilton Hotel, Manhattan, all paid for by Lake District Giveaways.

Having been to New York with teenage daughter, Millie, in 2019, this time Catherine and Paul dined at the infamous Hell’s Kitchen and also in Chinatown, stopping by some Irish bars, too. They also visited Brooklyn, walked over the renowned Brooklyn Bridge, shopped under the bright lights of Times Square and took a trip to Coney Island.

“I was still pinching myself, thinking ‘have I really won this holiday’, then I kept on looking, thinking ‘is it real’ when checking in,” said Catherine.

Could you be our next winner? If you want to “be a part of it” and keep up to date with all our social media pages, follow us on Facebook and Instagram. To see all our current competitions, click here and maybe you could be our next big winner!