17-05-2025
Football fan nets £136k dream car and cash hours before team reaches play-off final
A Sunderland fan has netted a dream car and cash prize worth £136,000 - just hours before celebrating his team's dramatic play-off semi-final win.
Ian Heslop, from South Shields, won a £86,000 Range Rover D300 Dynamic SE in BOTB's weekly Dream Car Competition.
The 51-year-old couldn't contain his laughter when the BOTB team rolled up to his doorstep with his new set of wheels earlier in the week.
BOTB Ian Heslop (Image: BOTB) 'No way! I can't believe it,' he giggled. 'This is just fabulous! I've come close to winning a couple of times, but you never actually think it's going to happen to you. What an amazing surprise.'
The win came just hours before Ian and his son watched their beloved Sunderland beat Coventry in the Championship play-off semi-final, with a nail-biting 3-2 win on aggregate sealed in the dying seconds.
'It was an amazing day. I was shocked to win the car. It's not every day you win something like this.
'Then to win the football in such dramatic fashion was the icing on the cake. It's fair to say I was on cloud nine.
'It's one of the best experiences I've had in football, and it was even more special with my son being there.'
'I love the Range Rovers,' Ian said. 'They have such a great reputation, and I love the classy look of them and all the tech.'
Ian, who works as an estate planning consultant, got to sit in the driver's seat and start up the engine.
But the surprises didn't end there, as a £50,000 cash prize was also hiding in the boot.
Recommended Reading:
Bodies of dogs were 'almost mummified' after being left to starve to death by owner
County Durham cocaine dealer caught out by incriminating phone messages
HMP Frankland: KC appointed to lead review after guards 'doused in oil' and 'stabbed'
'Can I touch it?' he joked.
Despite his love of the car, Ian said he was planning on taking the cash alternative as he and his family are moving house.
'It's a tough decision, but this is the right decision for us just now,' he said.
Looking ahead to the play-off final at Wembley on May 24, Ian has made a bold prediction - Sunderland to beat Sheffield United 2-1.
