A KEARSLEY pensioner is planning her celebrations after winning our ‘win your bills paid’ competition.

Jean Lenihan, 73, of Grovesner Street, Kearsley, said she buys The Bolton News every day but never dreamed she would be picked as the winner of a cheque for £2,000.

“I’m absolutely buzzing and haven’t stopped thinking about what I’m going to spend it on,” said Jean. “I buy the paper every day and I just thought, there’s a competition I can enter even though I won’t win it!”

The triumph has come at the perfect time for Jean who, like many, has suffered during lockdown.

“I’ve been bored to tears during lockdown so I thought I might as well enter the competition,” she said. “It’s been awful hasn’t it? Everyone has been in the same boat.”

The money will come in useful for Jean who lives with her two grown-up sons and has suffered from poor health recently.

“I’ve been thinking about spending it on the freehold for the house,” she said. “I’m certainly going to enquire about it and although it will be a lot more than I’ve won it might give me a good start.

“I’ve been really poorly for the last two years with lots of heart problems, circulation problems and stomach problems and I’ve been from specialist to specialist.

“I’d love to have a holiday but I really struggle to walk and I can’t get anywhere.

“I may as well just stay here and spend the money - it’s always nice to spend extra money that you didn’t have before.”

Bolton News editor Karl Holbrook, added: “Now that life is getting back to some sort of normal, we wanted to give our readers the chance to take away the pressure of their household expenditure and win peace of mind for the next three months.

“We wanted to give something back to the readers and are delighted for Jean and her family.”