For Wigan-based Barbara Mitchell, Christmas came a day early in 2009, when a knock on her door revealed that she was the winner of Little Chef’s ‘Win Your Dream Christmas’ competition.

Hand delivered on Christmas Eve, Mrs Mitchell from Shevington received the sack full of gifts worth over £7,000; including a family holiday to Orlando, Florida, a Sony Bravia 37” LCD TV, a luxury Christmas hamper, Nintendo Wii with sports pack and a Cannon Powershot S90 digital camera.

Retiree Barbara said: “I entered the competition whilst having breakfast in a Little Chef restaurant; we had been over there visiting family and ironically, dropping off their presents before Christmas.

“When I found out that I had won I couldn’t believe it! I didn’t realise just how many prizes were included and was absolutely gobsmacked when I saw them all piled up in my living room. It certainly made Christmas that extra bit special this year – especially for our children and grandchildren who were all treated to an extra gift.”

Claire Knox, marketing manager at Little Chef said: “We wanted to make one of our customers Christmas’s really special this year and what better way than to have an array of gifts delivered on Christmas Eve. We are so pleased that Mrs Mitchell and her family have enjoyed their prizes and that it helped to make the festive season that extra bit enjoyable.”