A retired couple were "gobsmacked" to win a £20,000 competition to have their apartment given a makeover by a John Lewis home design stylist.
Beccles couple Stuart and Helen Gordon, 76 and 75 respectively, moved into their brand-new McCarthy Stone apartment at Foundry Place in July 2022.
They had begun to settle in but had completely forgotten that when they bought their apartment, they had been entered into a free draw to have their apartment designed by one of the department store stylists.
READ MORE: Anger on plush new housing estate where roads are 'like surface of the moon'
Mr Gordon said that when sales consultant, Olivia Lince-Gill informed them, that they had won the prize, they were “completely gobsmacked and couldn’t quite take in the news".
He said: “We were already feeling nicely at home in our new apartment and were taking our time to put our own stamp on the décor gradually.
"The prospect of having an interior stylist at our disposal made us feel like kids in a sweet shop.”
Once the couple were over the shock, they met with a professional interior stylist from the John Lewis team, Emma Valerio, who helped by drawing up plans of what their apartment could look like.
READ MORE: Meet the first family to move into former Norfolk holiday park development
Mrs Gordon said: “While we felt we had done quite a lot to personalise our apartment, winning this prize really opened up our eyes to how we could truly put our own stamp on our home.
“With a budget of 20K to spend nothing was off limits.
"We were asked to imagine that our apartment was a blank canvas, and we could truly transform it to our heart’s content.
"This was the perfect opportunity for us to splurge on higher quality items than we would ever normally consider."
READ MORE: Shocking photos reveal why rat infested kebab shop got ZERO star food hygiene rating
Winning the competition was only the tip of the iceberg for Mr and Mrs Gordon, as since moving to Foundry Place they’ve benefited most from all the new friendships they have made.
Mrs Gordon said: “Foundry Place has such a lovely community.
"There were around 30 of us who all moved in at the same time, and you wouldn’t believe how quickly we all became such good friends."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here