Lucky Leighton Buzzard balloon artist wins car on Halloween that will 'change her life'
A lucky balloon artist from Leighton Buzzard struck gold after winning a brand new electric car in an online competition.
Hazel Markland claimed the "life changing" prize - worth over £40,000 - after entering Auto Trader’s electric car giveaway.
The professional balloon artist and face painter runs a local business called OddArtEvents, also known as Balloons by Hazel, and finally landed the top prize after several attempts.
Hazel said: "Winning the giveaway has been the biggest dream for me ever since I found out I won the keys to the new car. I’m used to always receiving an email each month saying that I hadn’t won, but when I finally got the news that I had, I honestly couldn’t believe it. You never think that it’s going to be you."
As well as winning the MG4 Trophy Long Range, Hazel has also bagged a contribution of up to £1,300 towards her insurance – courtesy of MoneySuperMarket – and a Hypervolt home electric vehicle charger.
The MG4 Trophy Long features up to 270 miles of electric range, 303PS of power along with 250Nm of torque, and a 360 parking camera.
Hazel added: "Winning the car has made a massive difference to me in all parts of my life. I’ve always dreamed about driving around in an electric vehicle and I’ve definitely noticed how much more economical and cost saving it has been for me using an electric vehicle.
"Not only this, but having a local balloon business means I can actually fit and transport all of my balloons much easier than before, which used to be a challenge in my old car.”
Given the bright orange colour of the car - and with the win coming at Halloween - Hazel has affectionately called her new four wheels, ‘Pumpkin’.
And their next big adventure together? A road trip to Paris!
Erin Baker, editorial director at Auto Trader, added: "We’re extremely delighted for Hazel on her incredible win and we’re pleased to hear how much the new car has made a massive difference."
Auto Trader’s electric car giveaway runs each month, and entrants simply need to enter their name and email address into the form on their website for a chance to win.
Click here to enter November's giveaway for a Skywell BE11 worth nearly £37,000.