A frontline nurse caring for Covid-19 patients and her keyworker partner have won a £6,000 Caribbean holiday.
Steph Griffiths and Gary Horwood were nominated by Gary’s aunt Sharon Kamen in recognition of the couple’s efforts during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
The competition by St Lucia resort BodyHoliday to win an all-inclusive 7-night stay was launched in September via the resort’s social media channels.
Nominations had to be submitted with an explanation of why they were deserving of the holiday prize.
More than 1,000 nominations were received out of 20,000 people who saw the contest with winning couple voted for by the resort’s senior executive team.
Griffiths is a nurse working at Stoke Mandeville Hospital throughout the pandemic and Horwood is a keyworker for Network Rail.
Both have contributed to fundraising efforts, with Horwood recently completing a sponsored 42 mile walk from Marylebone to Aylesbury – the route of the rail line he works on – to raise money for the NHS staff.
He proposed in August, so the holiday will be a celebration of their engagement.
The couple said: “When we found out the news we had won, we were both in shock, and thought it was a joke as we never win anything like this.
“It means so much to us after a year of so many ups and downs, not only for us but for everyone.”
Rebecca Platt, sales and marketing director for SunSwept Resorts, the owning company for BodyHoliday, said: “It was a pleasure to award this prize to such a deserving couple.
“While the decision was extremely difficult with so many amazing nominations, Gary and Steph stood out from the rest due to their unwavering support for others at a time that is difficult for everyone. We can’t wait to welcome them both to St Lucia.”