A retired couple from Norfolk will slip into their finest safari outfit and embark on an adventure to Africa for their first holiday in 13 years, thanks to a competition in the EDP.
A retired couple from Norfolk will slip into their finest safari outfit and embark on an adventure to Africa for their first holiday in 13 years.
Linda and Ted Gill, from Southrepps, near Cromer, were the lucky winners of this amazing prize, having been drawn from 7,000 entries across Norfolk and Suffolk.
The competition, in association with the Zoological Society of East Anglia (ZSEA) and Africa Alive! will see the couple jet out on an 11-day adventure to South Africa.
The pair were in awe of the £10,000 opportunity and were quick to apply for the once-in-a-lifetime experience.
This September, the couple will board a plane with their daughter Jenny and her partner Toni, to see some of their favourite animals up close.
Retired bank auditor, Mrs Gill said: 'It will be a totally different adventure to see them in person - we are so lucky.
'It is fantastic, it is absolutely incredible,' she said.
Mr and Mrs Gill were driving to visit relatives in Suffolk when they were told the exciting news.
'I thought I may have won a cooking experience or something.
'She said we might want to pull over before she told us the news - I just couldn't believe it. It is one of these things that are hard to accept until it starts happening,' Mrs Gill said.
The four adults will fly to Cape Town and enjoy nine nights in carefully chosen accommodation, followed by two nights in a privately-owned Garden Route Game Lodge, fully escorted by an experience tour manager.
The winners will also explore Indian Ocean Shores, the plain of the Little Karoo, Cape Buffalo and the rolling grasslands which are home to Africa's big five.
'It is wonderful - I can't wait to see the elephants,' she said.
The couple will also taste test some of the finest wine in the region and go to an ostrich farm for an authentic barbecue.
ZSEA, who are competition partners, will this year celebrate the 50th anniversary of Africa Alive! in Kessingland.
The society supports vital conservation work for rhinos in the wild and actively fund raises for the Save the Rhino International charity.
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