A man who "lost everything" when his business was liquidated after the coronavirus pandemic says his Christmas was "saved" after he won a £250,000 prize in a raffle.
Bernard from Merseyside recently entered an Omaze charity draw by buying a £10 raffle ticket, the Liverpool Echo reports, with 80% of the proceeds from the draw going to The Dog's Trust.
The overall winner stands to become the new owner of a luxury home in the Lake District, while a number of other luxury prizes are also on offer.
Bernard became the draw's 'early bird winner', and received his handsome sum of £250,000 on Christmas day.
Now, he says the money has "changed everything" for him and his wife Anaya after a tough 12 months.
The Merseyside local revealed he had been in business for 50 years when his business "hit a problem" and had to liquidate in May, telling the Echo: "When Covid hit we had to lock down and we never opened up again.
"We fought through it and carried on but eventually there was too much pressure and it couldn't cope anymore. I lost everything."
But the long-time supporter of Dog's Trust says the arrival of the prize money has "saved Christmas" for him, and he now feels that he has "got my retirement back."
Speaking on the Omaze YouTube channel, he said: "We're dog lovers, so we support the charity anyway. We have entered Omaze draws before. I always thought - like everyone I suppose is it legit?"
Bernard has since received a flood of congratulatory messages from friends and members of the community, with one woman writing on Facebook : "Absolutely fantastic there are always signs of light in dark times. So happy for them."
Another added: "So pleased this early bird prize was won by someone who's worked hard and unfortunately due to unforeseen circumstances have struggled."
A third woman commented that she was "so glad" the cash was won "by someone who really needs it".
The grand prize of the Omaze Lake District House Draw is a £2.5m luxury mansion near Lake Windermere and Ambleside . Raffle tickets were up for grabs for just £10.
