'I thought I had more chance of Kylie Minogue knocking on my door' Dunstable man wins £106k prize bundle
A retired lorry driver who spent 50 years behind the wheel has won a £106,000 car and cash prize bundle – but says he thought he had more chance of Kylie Minogue knocking on his door than winning an online competition.
Ronald Pearce, 74, won a Volkswagen Multivan Style eHybrid 4MOTION worth £66,000 and a £40,000 cash prize in BOTB’s weekly Dream Car Competition.
For Ronald and his wife, the win means much more than simply getting a new vehicle. She has osteoarthritis in her spine, which makes bending down to get into smaller cars difficult. Ronald had been looking through the vehicles on offer with her needs in mind, hoping to find something that would make getting in and out of the car easier and allow them to enjoy more time together.
Ronald was at home in Dunstable when BOTB presenter Nicole Jeffery arrived to deliver the life-changing news.
Ronald, who had spent the morning out in the rain walking his two Spaniels, had no idea his wife had secretly helped arrange the surprise.
He said: “I assumed it was Amazon or Evri with a parcel for my wife, so I rushed downstairs. Instead of finding a delivery, I saw a lady with two men behind her filming me.”
Flabbergasted Ronald said: "I always said there would be more chance Kylie knocked on my door.”
And he told Nicole: “It’s the most perfect vehicle you could possibly arrive in. I was scanning through for things not that I would love, but things that would be useful. My wife could get in and drive that.”
Speaking a couple of days after the surprise reveal, Ronald admitted that the moments after he opened the door to the BOTB team were something of a blur.
“I really don’t recall much as I thought this was all a dream,” he said. “Three days on and I still feel it’s all a dream – a very good dream. I absolutely adore it.
“It’s totally insane. I keep thinking I’m going to wake up in a minute and this won’t be real.”
The additional cash means Ronald and his wife can look forward to making the most of their new vehicle, including enjoying holidays with their beloved dogs.
“We are so lucky to have that extra cash and to have a vehicle that will be absolutely perfect for us,” he added. “We never go on holiday without our two Spaniels, so it will be nice to rent a dog-friendly cottage for a couple of weeks.
“Even though we all know that winning is pure luck, I for one will always be grateful to BOTB for our good fortune.”
Nicole said: “Ronald’s reaction was brilliant from the moment he opened the door. He genuinely couldn’t believe I was standing there, and you could see him trying to work out whether it was really happening.
“What made this win so special was that Ronald had chosen the Multivan for such a thoughtful reason. He wasn’t just looking for something exciting for himself; he was thinking about how it could make life easier for his wife, too. Knowing that she had helped arrange the surprise and managed to keep it a secret made the whole reveal even more special.”