NO wonder P&O North Sea Ferries manager David Townend is wandering around the office with a smile on his face.
The retail trade account manager and his wife Janet are ú6,000 better off, have a more expensive property and got to star on TV in front of millions of viewers.
They also had the dubious honour ofmeeting the ubiquitous TV celebrity, Carol Vorderman.
The Townends appeared on ITV’s Better Homes programme last week to have their garage in South Yorkshire transformed into a swanky new conservatory.
Backchat was slightly disappointed to hear from David that the fragrant Carol is just as pleasant in real life as she is on the box.
“She was brilliant,” said David. “Carol was really nice to work with and mixed in with everyone. She didn’t get involved in the hard graft but was happy to have a laugh and a joke.”
David and Janet were barred from their village, Thorpe-In-Balne near Doncaster, and forced to spend a week in a hotel while the TV team got to work on their property.
The results certainly paid off – the house was valued by an estate agent at ú6,000 more than its previous worth.
David, who emerged as a bit of a TV natural on the show, said: “I was gobsmacked when I saw it. It looked great.
“We didn’t really have an idea how it would go because that’s the risk you take, but it was worth taking.”
Backchat couldn’t agree more with David’s verdict. As well as hiking the couple’s property value up by ú6,000, the pair also bagged ú6,000 cash from Better Homes.
This was because their house’s value went up by more than their neighbour’s property, which also received a makeover.
Let’s hope this doesn’t provoke a feud, or David’s next TV appearance could be on Neighbours From Hell.