Oh boyo! I’ve won £25,000 Mail jackpot
As 130,000 enter Great British Treasure Hunt...
DAIly Mail Treasure Hunt champion Jenny Hardie says it was her Welsh roots that gave her the edge.
The 75-year-old won £25,000 worth of gold bars by solving a week of riddles – but she says that she knew the answer was Brecon, in Mid Wales, after just a few days.
The contest, which runs for two more weeks, has already had more than 130,00 entries over the past fortnight.
Mrs Hardie, who lives in St Ives, Cambridgeshire, said: ‘ When I started doing the Treasure Hunt, I just had a feeling – even by the Tuesday – that the answer was going to be Brecon. And as a Welsh girl, I thought this might just be my chance.
‘It means we’ll certainly be splashing out on dinner tonight. Just brilliant, it’s so exciting.’
The retired English teacher, who left Wales when she was 18, was driving to Suffolk for a weekend away with partner, 77year- old former architect John Carr, when she received the call telling her she had won the Treasure Hunt.
The mother- of- one said: ‘I’m absolutely thrilled, it’s just brilliant.
‘And it’s come at just the right time for us. I had to have an emergency operation after my appendix burst a few weeks ago, so John is taking me to get some sea air in Suffolk.
‘What a fantastic start to our weekend away.
‘We were sat in a Waitrose
‘It’s a real blessing’
car park in Newmarket when I got the call. I’ve been entering the Mail’s competitions religiously for years, just for fun as I really enjoy them.
‘I never imagined I’d ever win a big prize.’
The couple were spending the weekend at a golf hotel near Woodbridge – and Mrs Hardie, who is the second Treasure Hunt jackpot winner, said that her first purchase would be a new pair of golf shoes.
She added: ‘This money just makes me feel so much more comfortable.
‘It’s a real blessing to have that security now, and hopefully we can have some lovely weekends away too.
‘John and I really enjoy the British coast and all its seaside towns. I’m sure they’ll be some little treats.’
All answers in our Treasure Hunt are names of cities, towns or places of interest in Britain.
There is a picture clue in Saturday’s Weekend magazine, followed by riddles in the newspaper from Monday to Friday. Winners can choose to receive their prize in gold bars or cash, with Mrs Hardie opting for cash.
Mrs Hardie, who has read the Mail for decades, said she hopes to share some of the money with her son Craig, 49, who is a teacher.
She is the second Mail reader randomly selected to win part of the £100,000 jackpot this month.
If you would like to get your hands on £ 25,000, don’t worry – you still have the rest of the month to take part. Just follow the instructions below.